Hero's Blood
by novicewriter
Summary: The Joker is Gotham's clown prince of crime and has been for many years. Little did Gotham know that he had a secret no one knew but him. This is the story of the Joker's daughter and how her life is turned upside down when she finds out who her father is along with a few other notable identities in the Gotham Bay. Action/Drama. Story is better than the summary I promise.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note: This story is written by Novicewriter and co-written by: chaoticlown. The entire story is already complete and we will be posting every day to every other day because that is how we, as readers, like to be treated. :P I hope ya'll like it.**

JACKIE POV

I wake up at the sound of my dad's footsteps coming through the front door and the door shutting behind him, he is a cop and works nights. I instantly start to go back to a slumber; it is to early in the morning to be awake anyway. I hear his bedroom door shut behind him and I don't wake up again until almost 8 in the morning with the sun streaming through my window onto my face. I am so used to getting up on my own it is built into my routine. I stretch and start a shower very quietly as to not wake my dad. The mirror shows a reflection much like my father's. A strong jaw for a female with brown eyes and curly sandy hair that reaches just past my shoulders; I breathe fog on the bathroom mirror and write my name with my finger, "Jackie."

My dad works at night and he gets really grumpy when I wake him up before afternoon. After my shower I put on my clothes for the day and pour milk over cereal and start to think about my studies. I have always been homeschooled, I consider myself mostly self-taught, my dad gives me a lesson plan for the week and the he grades my work on Friday afternoons. Saturdays I make corrections. Despite only being 15 I am already completing work that most people do not reach until they're juniors in college. I normally have my work done before my dad wakes up, I try very hard to because the only times I get to see him is between early afternoon and about 8pm. I am normally asleep before he leaves for work.

Just as I put away my calculus textbook for the day I hear my dad's heavy steps descending the stairs. I stand up and look toward the stairs with anticipation and he smiles when he sees me. He is wearing his usual attire, faded denim jeans and a worn brown button up." Good morning sunshine." He gives me a wry grin and I smirk back.

"It isn't morning for the real world, Dad. Just yours." I go into the kitchen ahead of him and pour him orange juice and put two slices of bread in the toaster and hand him the newspaper that gets delivered to our door every morning without fail. He opens it to the funnies and starts to read Garfield, Peanuts, and Dilbert as he does every day.

"Jeeze, don't want me to get scurvy?" He says, eyeing the orange juice.

"Well someone has to take care of you, we all know you wouldn't take care of yourself. Where would you be without me?" We have this conversation almost every morning; soon Uncle Ace will arrive and tell me how big I've gotten even though he comes by every Tuesday.

My dad laughs and downs the drink just like every day, and then when the toast pops out of the toaster he spreads strawberry jam across the bread and starts eating. The front door opens and Ace walks in at one o'clock. Right on time.

"Hey Jackie, Look how big you are getting!" Yup, I can always trust that uncle Ace will have something familiar to say. Then he turns to my dad and starts talking about how he remembers when I was a baby like he is some long lost relative who only sees me once every ten years or so, and I excuse myself back to the living room to watch some TV.

I can hear them in the kitchen talking about work last night and how tough it was, my dad is a cop, and Ace is his partner and his half brother. I am so proud of them, being a cop in Gotham City is a dangerous job, but something in me always is worried that one of them or both of them wont come back home one morning, and that would be the end of my world. I don't have many friends, I know a few from gymnastics, which I got to every Thursday afternoon. I know some girls from Sunday school form when I was little, but we haven't done church in a few years now. I do have one very good friend named Becca who comes over a lot. We met at summer camp one year and have been inseparable ever since. My Dad and Uncle are really my best friends. They've raised me and always been there for me. And I love them more than anyone else. My friends have said it is weird that I like spending time with them and at home so much, but it really doesn't bother me like it does other 15-year-old girls, I really like being home.

JACK POV

"Well last night was a bit rough. Don't you think Ace?" I can't help but move my eyes down the hallway just to make sure Jackie isn't going to come back into the kitchen. I don't like her hearing about my occupation and I've kept it that way since she was very little. I just don't want her to worry about me. The last thing I need to do is to distract her from her hobbies.

"It was. Maybe next time the big guy will take it a bit easier on you." I grin knowing full well what he is meaning. Our nights are always filled with more action and adventure than we probably need, but we can't help ourselves. I suppose it just comes with the job.

"Yeah, but you know him. He would never do that. Especially when it comes to me." I laugh a bit and move on to the remaining section of my toast. Jackie always takes good care of me. In ways she reminds me of her mother, but more of myself. I can't believe it's been 15 years since her mother just abandoned her on my doorstep. She didn't even have the courtesy to knock and hand her over. She just left my little girl there like she meant nothing.

Being a single father can be extremely tough, but my daughter is absolutely the greatest thing to ever happen to me. I may not be perfect and I do have a ton of mistakes under my belt but it will never change how much she means to me.

"Ace, I think I might take the day off. I should spend some time with Jackie and probably buy her something nice to make up for all the time I'm asleep or away." He smiles and agrees softly; knowing that he will be leaving by the time I'm done eating my breakfast. I fold the remaining newspaper up and leave it on the table and stand up to toss the crusts of my toast away. I have always hated the crusts of my bread. It's something that always stuck with me.

I nod a "bye" to Ace and head upstairs to my bedroom. I shut and lock the door (Pure paranoia, I swear) and head to the bathroom. At the mirror I notice that the skin on my cheeks is a bit faded and cracked. The scars are incredibly hard to hide, but somehow I've managed to pull it off for 15 years. I grab the liquid concealer jar from the medicine cabinet and apply it very lightly around the worn skin. It smooth's and dries quickly to my prayers. With scars as deep as these, I have found that I go through more makeup than most women. The biggest part of it is the facial putty used to fill in the gaps.

Most people would never be able to comprehend that I would hide my deformity just to save my loved one the suffering. But I do what I have to do to keep Jackie safe. No one can blame her for being my daughter since she doesn't even have a clue as to who I really am.

I sigh and glance myself over one last time before heading downstairs. I can hear the television going so I assume she is still in the living room. I pop my head around the corner and see that she is indeed still there.

"Hey Jackie, I got the day off. I was wondering if you wanted to hang out with your old man and possibly go shopping later? I feel like you deserve something nice. Something big, anything you want." She beams at me and I know that I have her hooked. She just can't say no to me. I know today is going to be a great day now.

Please read and review. We enjoy your feedback.


	2. Chapter 2

**Getting no reviews last time will not discourage us! We have a lot of chapters here and we will continue to post them.**

Jackie POV

I love it when my dad takes me places. It has always just been the two of us; he is my best friend. We're going to my favorite lunch, Cindy's diner. I'm going to get a strawberry milkshake with extra whipped cream, French fries, and a grilled cheese sandwich with bacon on the side. My dad is going to get a bacon cheeseburger and chocolate milkshake. After that we're going to the mall and he is going to let me get a few new outfits, he never says no to me when I ask nicely. And then we will hit the arcade and play laser tag until we can't stand it anymore. Then tonight we're going to see the new paranormal activity movie together, they scare him, but I think they're funny.

He only gets a few days off a month, so I really look forward to them when he does. He is excited to I am sure; he loves spending time with me. We have always been there for each other, Mom left when I was still a baby and he has taken care for me ever since. She apparently just had lots of issues. Dad said that she died a few years ago, and I don't mind much because I don't think I want to meet a woman who would leave her husband and child like that. Plus while we're out I need to get dad to say what he wants for his birthday. He will be 38 in a few months, and I want to get him something really awesome with the money I have made from babysitting the neighbor's kids.

He calls up the stairs and I rush down excited to be off. We're going to have so much fun. We both hop into his brown Chevy truck and I buckle my seatbelt. He never wears his seatbelt and much to his displeasure I nag him about it constantly. Normally he eventually gives in and puts it on, but I'm too excited today to say anything. He is smiling too, he is probably just happy that I am happy. We pull into the Cindy's and our day of fun begins.

I have always been able to tell Dad anything. We don't keep secrets from one another. "So will you have your vocab words memorized by Friday for your history, Hun?" I smile and nod through sips of my milkshakes and he starts a new topic of his co-workers and asked me about Becca. Becca has been my best friend since I can remember; she comes over all the time. We do everything together; we're in tennis together in the spring, swim team, track, dance, and everything else. We both get ice cream sundaes before heading out for the rest of the day.

It's late and I am exhausted. I had so much fun with Dad tonight. My eyelids are heavy and starting to fall and Dad is turning onto our road. We will be home soon and I let my eyes close. We will turn into the driveway in three…two…one…. wait, why didn't we turn? I open my eyes, and we definitely passed it. I look in the mirror and our house is swarming with police with lights flashing and a swat van. This has to be a joke. One or two of the cars back up and start chasing after us followed by the other cruisers soon after. "Dad, what is going on? This is a joke right?" He slams on the gas and turns into an alley without looking over at me once to acknowledge that he heard me. "Dad?"

JACK POV

Sirens wail from behind my car as I turn it sharply around a street corner into an alley. Tree branches bounce off of the windshield roughly as I take another quick turn. I have to get us out of here. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if they found out about Jackie. The things they would do to her if they all knew I was her father. A pit of fear and panic forms in the bottom of my stomach as a trash can connects with the front of my hood and rolls to the side.

Jackie lets out a small yelps at the impact and covers her face as if it would protect her. I move my hand over and place it on her forearm gently. I hope she is going to be okay. I never wanted her to be involved in something like this. It breaks my heart for her to know that I lied to her all of these years and I just pray that she will be able to forgive me for being her worst nightmare. She is such an innocent girl, that's my fault too, homeschooling her all these years.

Another sharp turn and I check my mirrors. The flashing lights go straight instead of turning. I might have lost them. I turn my lights off and put the car in park under a large over hanging tree. The shadows should cover us so no one can spot us.

"Why were all those cops after us dad? Is this some kind of joke?"

"No it's not a joke. Those cops are after me, Jackie." I look down at my hands, which are now placed in my lap clumsily.

"Why dad? You're a cop!" Her eyes water and the faint moonlight shines off of them. She looks so upset and it suddenly feels like the world is crashing around me. My heart has never felt so heavy.

"No, I'm not a cop..." I let out a sigh and look back down at my hands. My fingers are idly picking at the skin around my right thumbnail.

"Dad...what is going on?"

"I'm not a cop. I'm a criminal." Those words will be the death of me. I would have never thought that those words would break my heart so much. I have always lived for the thrill and it was what kept me together. Now, I'm admitting that it was the biggest lie I've ever told my daughter.

"What kind of criminal? You're not making any sense!"

"Jackie, there is a bunch that you don't know. I will tell with some time. We need to get to Ace's. We will be safe there; you will be safe there."

I throw the car into Drive and pull forward slowly. It isn't until almost a mile later that I turn the lights back on. Sneaking through alleys is something that comes in handy at times like this.

When we arrive at Ace's I pull the car into the open garage and shut it behind us. If someone found the vehicle we would all be in great trouble. I shut the car off and stay seated while Jackie practically runs inside. Ace comes out a few seconds later with a concerned look on his face.

"I wasn't expecting company Jack." He says just as I open the door.

"I know Ace. But the cops showed up at my house. They knew I lived there. Ace, they would take her away from me." My voice cracks slightly at the thought of my baby being taken away.

"Did you lose them?"

"Yeah... We weren't followed here."

"Good, I'll get her taken care of. You get ready for some explanations because she will want some answers." He shakes his head and walks inside quickly leaving me to my thoughts.

**Please read and review! This was the last "introduction" chapter as I like to call them. After this a bit more happens. I promise.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks so much to our reviewers and to everyone who has been reading this story. We can't wait to give you more.**

JACKIE POV

Ace rushes me down into the basement, I just keep getting pushed from one place to another and I can't even fathom the last hour or so. My dad isn't a cop, he is a criminal, I don't know what he did, but Ace must know about it…

Ace opens up a latched door under a pile of boxes in the corner of the basement. I've been here my entire life, living with my dad, his partner and brother, Ace. Turns out my dad is a liar and there is a bunker in the basement. Ace helps me down into the concrete room and turns on a light switch that is on the main level. The fluorescent lighting flickers on in the concrete room. "Stay down there and be quiet, if we're not back in 2 hours, wait it out a few days then sneak out of here. It locks from the outside." He tosses me an old fashioned key, "This will unlock the door. There is food and water down there for a few days… We will be back as soon as we know it is safe for the night, okay, we will leave in the morning if all is going good…" He gives me a faint smile and shuts the heavy door. I hear the locking mechanism slide into place behind him and the boxes slide being pushed over the door.

I am almost grateful to hear him descending the steps back up to the main floor, I am finally alone with my thoughts. I have never been very emotional, this time is no different, I have always been to sensible to get upset about things I can't change, although this is still playing in my head like a bad dream or a really bad joke. I survey my prison for the time being and start to worry that they may want to keep me here indefinitely, I wouldn't put it past them, and apparently everything has been a lie. I climb up the stairs and put the key in the lock. When I turn the key I feel the hinges inside move apart and unlock. I re-lock the door and breathe a sigh of relief. The room is about 10 feet by 10 feet with a separate door that when I open it leads to a small separate room with only a toilet in it, no shower or sink. The larger room has a small cot, a few cockroaches, and a bench with 2 boxes of supplies on it. Whatever is happening, they were prepared for it, or my uncle has a rather irrational fear of tornadoes or the apocalypse I didn't know about. I fan out the wool blanket that was folded on the cot to make sure no bugs were living in it, and then I checked the pillow for the same reason. After smashing the bugs I could find I laid down and tried to make sense of everything.

The white lighting is giving me a headache, so I shut my eyes and try to focus on the facts that I know. I know that I am loved, I am either loved or Ace and my Dad have been very good actors for almost 15 years of my life. My dad is not a cop and neither is Ace. Well I guess I don't know that about Ace, he could just be a very twisted cop helping out a wanted criminal, but I doubt it. I know that it must be pretty serious and that this has been going on awhile, otherwise Ace wouldn't have been so unsurprised by Dad bringing me here and getting found out, and they have a bunker to hide in… I try to calm myself and not think about all the things I do not know.

Ace said we would leave in the morning if everything went well. Leave where? What about our life here and my schooling? What about my friends and Gotham? Would we come back or just hide out until the heat dies down, and do I want to stay for this… Maybe I should open the door, push the boxes aside, and leave now-

I discount the idea immediately, that doesn't even make sense, I can't leave my dad or Ace. They're the only family I have. Right as I resolve myself to staying put for now I hear the boxes slide off of the hidden door and the heavy door creaking as it opened. I open one eye and look up to see my dad, but it doesn't look like him, he looks angry and has deep scars carved into his normally perfect cheeks. I gasp as I realize the absolute magnitude of what I am seeing, My dad is the Joker!

I stare up at him as he descends the stairs and stands in front of me with look on his face like a puppy that got caught digging through the trash. "Jackie, are you okay?" I continue to look at him with the same thought reverberating in my mind over and over again: My dad is the Joker.

"Yeah, I'm okay…"

"Jackie, what are you thinking?" He looks at me the same way he always has, with the same love and devotion he has always shown me as my father since I was to small to understand it. Then I remember that it has all been a lie, every smile, every hug, and every laugh we have ever shared as father and daughter is now tainted by this lie that he has shrouded my life in, and bile burns my throat and I am angry.

"I'm thinking that you lied to me! Everything I am and everything we have ever been, Dad. It's all a huge lie!" I feel bile come higher and into my mouth and it is all I can do to make it to the bathroom to throw up the contents of my stomach. I feel my dad's hands cup my curly hair at the nape of my neck and as soon as I stop retching I shake him off and wipe my mouth. I turn to face him, "Why dad? Why did you never stop this act, not even for me. This has been going on since before I was born. You're the Joker and you never bothered to even stop it! I've never asked you for much, Dad. I've always been a good daughter to you and you couldn't even return the favor to me! We had one rule in our house, Dad! And you broke it. We don't lie to each other!" The look of pain on his face doesn't make me feel any better because I know it is nothing compared to how I feel right now looking at the only family I've ever known and trusted with all of myself and know that it was all a huge lie.

"Jackie, I am so sorry about this. I wish I could have told you, but I couldn't!" I laugh, mirthless at his plea.

"Dad, don't give me that. You could have stopped, you could have at least told me! I can think of a million things you could have done but didn't! Don't lie to me and say you did all you could because you didn't!" I push past him without a backward glance and run out of the room, I hear a quiet, "I lied to protect you," but I don't stop to look if he is following me, and when I hear Ace turn and yell my name I don't even flinch. I'm getting out of here and no one will stop me. MY resolve for staying is over and done with, I can leave this "family" because it isn't my family. What's back there are two men who lied to me my entire life. After a few more feet I have to force myself to keep going forward. Fight the voice telling me to stay, that I'm ruining everything, that I could stay here with a mirage of a family and pretend I never found out this secret. I run to the back door so fast I almost can't stop myself before running into it. I yank it open and run to the fence and leap over it. I don't know where I am going, but I know it is somewhere that they will never find me. Gotham is a big city with lots of shadows to hide in.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you to everyone who is reading our story. We love to hear the feedback and can't wait to give you more. **

Jack POV

"Jackie!" My voice echos throughout the dark alley, ricocheting off of building walls into oblivion. I sigh slightly and continue to move down the abandoned back-way. It's been nearly two weeks since my daughter ran away and my hope is starting to fade away quickly. I'm sure that she has no intentions of letting me find her, but I still have to look. She may hate me, but I need to know that she is okay. That she is safe.

My pocket starts buzzing and I pull my phone out and answer it without looking at the number.

"Hello?"

"How is it going Jack?" Of course it would be Ace. He is worried about me. Sure he wont voice it, but I know that he checks up on me often enough.

"No sign of her. Again." I can feel the pressure behind my eyes build and my vision starts to blur slightly. I keep my voice as strong as possible as to not give it away. I don't cry.

"Jack, come home. Get some dinner and sleep and I will go out for the rest of the night. If we find her she is going to need you to be strong."

"Sure. Fine, I'll be there soon." I've realized that there is no arguing with him anymore. I just don't have the energy to. I hang up the phone and shove it back into my pants pocket roughly.

My eyes finally give way to the tears that had been forming. A small sob escaped my lips and my hands instantly attack the falling tears. I can't cry. I can't allow myself to be this weak. It feels like decades before I can force myself to move away from the alley. If Jack can't find her… maybe the Joker can.

Jackie POV

I pound the streets of the Gotham narrows, following the men in front of me. "Come on Girly, you have to keep up with the boys if you're ever gonna make it here." I throw myself forward thinking only of the sprinting my legs are doing and the burn in my thighs as my legs hit the pavement again and again. I finally manage to keep up, but keeping pace with the much taller boys wont be easy for long.

Luckily we reached our destination before I fainted and once inside the apartment building where I've been staying I doubled over and put my hands on my knees. The guys were out of breath as well, but not as much as me. We just finished out running the cops with our new load of crank in our bags. Working for the mobs of Gotham wasn't what I had in mind for my future, but it is only until I have the money to get away.

After we all catch our breath, Crow, one of the guys I've been running with since I go here ten days ago, breaks out his pipe and pulls out the large baggies of drugs we just smuggled for the mob. "Let's say we celebrate with a little." I smile and politely decline the offer. I was in a bad place when I got here, but meth wasn't the answer to my problems, it's not my job. I much prefer a more subtle drug, pot has become my new uncle, and small doses of heroin my dad. They seemed a little less… life-destroying?

It's night and I'm in my half of a bedroom watching TV with the guys. I'm on the team by being the "cute girl who plays innocent when the cops show up." I don't mind my purpose here, it isn't a huge deal why I am here, just that I am indoors and safe. The first few nights I was on my own I was on the streets. On the third night it occurred to me that no matter what I did, I had to find a way of living, and Crow and his gang were my best option at the time. Plus, they're a nice group of guys. And we're so low on the food chain that I will probably never meet the big guy we work for, Gambol. I'm more likely to end up in juvy before I meet him.

The guys are the same as me, staring into nothing, the TV is just noise that keeps us all from getting too lonely with just our strung out thoughts for company. My thoughts always stray back to my dad. I know he is looking for me. It is well known that the Joker has been out and about looking for a girl that fits my description; the guys I hang around are just too stupid to notice the resemblance.

Crow and the guys are going to be up for days on their high, but mine is failing me now and I'm tired. I curl up in the corner with a blanket I found in the hallway a few days ago and think about hot showers and the homework I was supposed to do for my dad before any of this happened. That is the last mundane thought I think to get to sleep every night. Like tomorrow morning I'll wake up and make Dad breakfast and start reading Moby Dick. And all of this has just been the most fucked up dream, and none of it is real.

My eyes drift close and I fall asleep with the smell of dirty clothing and smoke from meth pipes in my nostrils. And I think about my bed and my dad and my friends until I finally get relief and sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks again to everyone who is reading! Please review.**

Jack POV

"Johnny-boy, I suggest you answer correctly this time. Where is she?" Another whimper echos throughout the concrete basement as I tighten the garden shears on his right index finger. A grin forces its way onto my face as his eyes beg for something human in me to release him. Sadly, that wont be happening tonight.

"I don't know where she is! She's running with Gambol's guys...Somewhere north of 135th street. That's all I know, I swear!" His voice cracks in mid scream causing a pleasurable sensation to roll down my spine as the shears crack through the bone and the finger plops onto the ground with a light thud.

"Some guy! He's black with cornrows, calls himself Crow!"

"Ohhhh I see. Now how about you tell me why you sold her the snow? Hmm?" The thought of my daughter injecting herself with something as bad as heroin makes my stomach cramp. I told her I'd always protect her, and I've failed her. Rage boils under my skin and I can practically see heat radiating off of myself. Johnny will be lucky if all I do is cut his grimy digits off.

"She paid for it man. I gotta make a livin'. They're peddling it for Gambol, I'm just one step above them, man..." I barely manage to blink before my hands plunges the shears into his neck. A strung out gurgle spills form his lips and his eyes widen. Death is as good as justice some days.

The smell of urine and garbage stings my nose and makes my nose prickle as I enter an alley just off of 135th. Starting at the beginning is always a good idea when searching for someone. My eyes flick to a slight movement behind a dumpster and I instantly push myself behind a small alcove. I peak my head around and see a small figure wearing a hoodie talking to a scruffy looking man. The small figure turns slightly to check the surrounding and I feel my heart jump. I have to control myself from running out there and scaring her off. She turns back to the man and he slips her a wad of dollar bills and in exchange she pulls out a tiny baggie of white powder from inside her jacket and hands it to him. He grins and runs off in the opposite direction leaving her standing there. She counts the money and stuffs it in her pocket. She sighs and leans up against the wall as if she is waiting for someone to show up. As soon as I get the guts to move over to her I have to hide again because a car starts coming down the alley. It stops right in front of Jackie and a door swings open, She hops right in and the car speeds off. I'm barely able to catch the plate number before they are gone and out of sight. This boy, Crow, doesn't know who he is messing with now. I will get her back if it is the last thing I do. I flip open my phone and dial Ace's number, and we are instantly on our way to tracking down that car.

"Daddy's on his way babygirl..."

JACKIE POV

I lean against the wall as my buyer for the day walks away down into the grimy darkness of Gotham Cities narrows. I let out a sigh and turn towards the light at the end of the alley. I can hear my ride turning before I see it come into view and I prepare to hop in. I never feel safe out in the open lately. Indoors, inside of buildings and alcoves and in shadows suits me better. Cops are just waiting for people like me in alleys. People like me, Ha! When did I become one of "those" people.

Crow pulls the car up and I hop in before it has time to come to a full and complete stop. I pull on my seat belt and I'm handed a sterile needle in a pouch, a syringe and a belt. I wrap the belt tightly, pat the crook of my elbow four times and inject the needle into my waiting veins. I immediately start to feel less nervous and sick as soon as I pull the hollow metal out of my skin. I toss the used needle away and stare at the roof of the car listening to Crow and the other birds talk to one another. Their words melding together into an exotic slurred song as the drugs take effect on my mind. They have started calling me Jay, like a blue jay. There is Robin, Crow, me and a few other's that I don't care to learn their names. We all work for the same guy and do the same stuff, so who cares what they go by. They also come and go as they please for the most part. Robin and Crow are always around though.

I look up when we pull into the garage and everyone piles out of the car into the shitty apartments we call home for now. If two bedrooms, a bathroom with no sink, and a "living" room with a kitchen inside all carpeted with the same flea infested brown shag carpet counts as an apartment. I climb up the stairs and make conversation with the guys as I find my blanket among the piles of stuff on the floors. Since moving in a few weeks ago I have managed to put together a small collection of belongings. A black comforter with red-orange bleach stains that I found hanging on a fence outside of the church on 122nd avenue. A brown leather jacket with the satin pockets ripped apart. I sewed it back together with dental floss good as new. I also found a few pairs of jeans that fit reasonably well, and a few t-shirts that I stole from the goodwill trashcan. Not fit to sell, but fit to wear if you ask me, and some underwear I stole from Wal-mart. All the guys I live with are the same as me, living off of societies scraps. It has made me grateful for what I used to have. Friends, family, shopping trips, warm food. I took all of that for granted my entire life. Now when the shower sprays luke-warm water or we make a box of mac-n-cheese we all feel pretty spectacular.

Crow cries at night. It seems a small detail, but he does. I don't know what he cries about or anything. I just notice it. After Robin has drank himself into whatever place he drinks himself into and I have curled into a ball under my blanket and fall to my own house of horrors in my mind, I can hear him sniffling. Sometimes he whispers names to himself while he does it. Mostly, "I'm sorry," and a few choice names like "Mom" and "Mike" come up often. I don't know what he feels so sick and sorry about, but I understand the just of it. It's the same thing that happened to me. Something sudden and life changing and he would do anything to go back and change a decision he made that he thinks would somehow magically change the entire outcome of his life. If he had just said yes instead of no. Or if he had just stayed by his mom instead of running away. Or if he had just accepted whatever was said and not gone darting away with nothing but the shirt on his back and a trail of broken dreams and hurts behind him leaving his father standing alone without anyone to talk to in his uncles basement. If he had just swallowed and dealt with it he could be…- never mind it's not important. He cries at night, that's the point I'm making here.

I think about Dad a lot. He is still looking for me. Batman is looking for me to, that is why am so paranoid about being outside. If my dad fails in finding me, Batman won't. I'm sure he is looking for me because the Joker is. And anything the Joker is looking for is something that is going to be on top of Batman's list and anything on Batman's list is going to be priority number one for the police. The guys really are to strung out to notice that I'm being looked for. They take my nervous ticks while out as part of who I am as a drug dealer and let it rest. We all have our demons, they just assume nervous ticks are one of mine. Like, I could swear I saw my dad in the alley today, but it couldn't have been because he would have stormed up and grabbed me, obviously. I think I was a just tired and hallucinating. I haven't been sleeping well. It's either the drugs or my life falling apart around me at a faster rate than I originally thought possible.

All the guys are finding their vices for the night. Robin picks his bottle and takes a seat on the couch and I find my comforter and close it around me trying to think of anything than my life and everything and everyone in it. And Crow puffs a cigarette and gets a haunted expression on his face as he stares forwards without blinking. Robin starts to make conversation and Crow and I laugh and take swigs out of his bottle of cheap clear booze, but no one is really interacting. This is not a life anyone chooses to live. Eventually we all get silent and brooding and Robin passes out and I curl into a tight ball around the pit in my stomach where I keep the razor sharp shards of my life hidden away, and Crow starts to sniffle and whisper about his mother and Mike. And the darkness closes in like a cave with no openings and the wind whistles by the windows like ghosts singing to the mournful tune of our lives. Everything is horrible, but normal.

And then the garage door underneath the apartment opens… and everyone shoots out of their stupor and then a window shatters open in the right side bedroom. Within seconds the Joker is in the front door way and a dark cloaked figure is in far corner in the shadows and both are looking at each other and not at any of us. I let loose one small word with my out going breath, "Dad." He looks at me, his face snarled and covered in facepaint and I can hardly stand it.

"I'm coming, Jackie." I hear him whisper.

**R/R**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks again to everyone who is reading. On with the story!**

Batman's POV

'Insert data.' The droning voice of the computer disperses throughout the rest of the cave. I push my legs off of the ground and roll over to a rack of blood vials. I move my finger over a few of the little tubes until I see the one in mind and grasp it gently. Sliding the chair back over to the other side of the computer I place the vial into the empty slot and it is sucked away from sight. My eyes flicker back up towards the screen as a progress bar appears and the voice returns.

'Analyzing "Data 348" '

The bar quickly fills and then moves to the right side of the screen after a quick key press. An image of the girl pops up right above it and on the other side of the screen it copies, but with the Joker's information.

'Comparing "Data 12" and "Data 348" '

Another bar appears under the images and starts to fill slowly. This part usually takes a minute or two to complete. My computer is good, but it does need time to compare DNA.

What got me was her eyes; she has his eyes. His eyes. They have to be related somehow. I know it has to be true.

'Data match.'

I knew it. She has to be his daughter. That explains why he has been chasing her around so often. Now, I just need to know why she's been hiding from him. A small shuffle makes me turn around. In the middle of the cave is a bolted down chair that she is handcuffed to. A small gasp comes from her lips and she desperately tries to look around through her blindfold. It's time to talk about some things.

JACKIE POV

I stir and find I can't move myself more than a few inches in any direction, chained down to a chair and blindfolded somewhere. My first thoughts are that Batman must have gotten me and my stomach lurches then where my dad could be. I remember their fight vividly. Dad had pulled every trick in the book to get to me first, I had really hoped he would win, because despite my hatred for him a few weeks on the street makes it easier to accept a liar, but apparently not. "Where am I, where is my dad?" I say quietly to the apparently empty room.

I hear boots walk heavily towards me "The Joker is in police custody." I can hear lighter footsteps above me somewhere, but ignore them just as I ignore the fact that my first question was skipped.

"Let me go. You have no reason to keep me here." My voice is gaining confidence, but I am just talking bigger, I am feeling smaller. This is Batman, he wont let me go until he is ready to do so.

"We need to talk about your father first. Do you know who he is?" I wont give him the pleasure of hearing all I know so quickly.

"Of course, he is my Dad of course I know who he is." I smirk slightly knowing this will be a while.

"No, the Joker part. We all know he is your father." Well so much for evasion.

"That's none of your business." I hear a chuckle from the smaller set of footsteps. A lighter but still deep voice of a teenager comes from further away, "You show him, I'm sure you'll be able to keep this up." Batman seems to take no notice of the younger man.

"Why was he chasing you? A secret he didn't want out yet, piss him off?"

"You're the detective, you tell me." I smirk again, but this time instead of a remark from the younger man I hear him walk away then start typing somewhere in the room. Batman's breath hitches but he continues his question as calm as before.

"What did you do, Jackie." I hear a machine talk in the background, "Blood sample match, data 178 a match." "Hey Batman, you better come over here and see this." This young guy seems like someone I'd like. He is a good distraction at least. There is a pause and footsteps up stairs then down them again back towards me.

"Did you get mad at him? Run away? Because the Joker doesn't like it when people get away from him, just look at Harleen Quinzel." He emphasized the name like it should ring a bell, but it doesn't. What game is he playing at.

"Am I supposed to act shocked? Who the hell is Harleen? And don't play games with me, Batman. I don't like riddles."

"Harleen Quinzel was a doctor at Arkham. She used to run with your father, she is deceased. She was his doctor many years ago and he brainwashed her and was beyond cruel to her. She finally got away and committed suicide shortly afterwards. Batman continued on about this woman's abuse and what Dad did to her and I got angrier and angrier, finally I cut him off.

"You're a liar! My dad wouldn't do that to anyone!" I yelled and my voice echoed off of the walls and animals screeched far above us.

"Yes he did, Jackie. He used her over and over again and she kept coming back. He is a dangerous man. He has murdered thousands of innocent people. He has hurt this entire city and you'll defend him." The younger man piped in here, "She's just as brainwashed as Harley was. She wont tell you anything." At that something in me snapped and I struggle against the restraints.

"Don't you dare try to figure me out kid! You have no idea what you're talking about! You're both monsters!" I hear my teeth clash together as a hand swipes me across the face. It was a gloved hand, maybe smooth leather, I couldn't tell, but it silences me for the moment long enough to hear Batman yell at the younger man for striking me.

"I don't need pity from evil men like you."

"We just want you to understand the type of man he is."

"It is you who don't understand who he is! You don't know him! He is my father." I hear a sigh like this is going nowhere and then I realize I'm lying to myself… they know better. I don't have to convince them of anything… "He is the Joker…"

"Are you trying to convince me or yourself?" Batman asks me quietly.

"I don't need to convince myself that he is a good man, I know he is. He raised me, loved me. I am just trying to remember now that he is a bad man… I just found out recently." The room is eerily quiet for a long time. I can't even hear the two men breathing.

"How could he have kept that a secret…" I don't think he is asking me, more like asking himself, but I answer anyway.

"He must have been a pretty good actor. Why? Don't believe me? Why do you think I ran away all the sudden?"

"So his parenting taught you morals…" Again it is sort of hard to tell if he is talking to me or not. He is speaking in the distant quiet voice like he is thinking really hard for a test question.

"What do you mean?

"Your values." He quickly retorts to my question.

"He taught me to have some if that's what you mean."

"So why did you leave?" I pause for a really long time and just shut my eyes. I don't even know how to answer my own questions about why I left, how do I explain it to two guys who already don't trust me and who I have never seen. I guess I paused for too long because the younger man chimes in.

"She has no idea why she left, Batman." Suddenly, right after that, a cloth is slipped over my nose and mouth and I know no more.

**R/R**


	7. Chapter 7

Bruce Wayne POV

Jackie Marie Napier is in police custody, Bruce Wayne is taking her in after Batman had her a few days it became obvious that this is the right thing to do. With enough patience, we can get her to see the Joker for what he really is, and she will make a good asset to the family. I grin to myself as I walk into the GCPD building where they have bee keeping her. She has no evidence against her except her blood. Lie detector specialist says she is telling the truth, through her entire childhood she had no idea. I already knew that, I could always tell when someone is lying to me.

A nice looking police officer, Jackie, and a child services agent walk into a room and motion for me to follow. I have done this a few times now; adopting high profile cases is sort of a ritual of mine now. I think of Dick Grayson, my oldest, after the death of his parents and I remain stoic. As well as less high profile case like Jason Todd stealing the tires off of my bat mobile in a dark alleyway in the narrows. A small smile reaches my lips when I think of Jason alive. Jackie has a look like her father's. She has curly hair the color of her mother's natural brown. Her eyes are piecing and almost black like her fathers, but less angry. She grew up in a happy home there is no doubt in my mind about that, her eyes betray her innocence. She is slight like her mother too, only standing at 5'1 and 94 pounds. I smile at her from across the room and she half smiles back, but she appears lost in thought. It could be her current situation; it could be the drugs still leaving her system from her time on the streets.

The social worker hands over a few pieces of paper that I read through quickly and sign off on. The Joker has been locked in Blackgate prison indefinitely. The courts didn't take so kindly to a healthy child being involved. It proved to them that he was aware of his actions and therefore, not insane. Harley Quinn killed herself shortly after Jackie's birth, which Jackie states that her birthday has always been celebrated on December 11, which doctors believe is just about right for her structure. That is probably more likely the day the Joker took her in, but from her accounts, that was very shortly after birth. In any case she is an official ward of the state, and I plan on making her life better… and giving her a way of channeling any evil inside of her.

I sign in all the correct places after introducing myself to Jackie and explaining that I've adopted several children and that I can't wait to get to know her better. She nods like she is only half listening and then the social worker shakes my hand, "We really appreciate all you do, Mr. Wayne. A girl of her age and background would have no hope in the child care system that Gotham has. You're saving her life." She smiles and I smile back. I shake the police officer's hand who says under his breath. "Watch her, you never know what sort of plan is being cooked." I nod and walk over to Jackie who is still sitting down. The grime of Gotham's streets clings to every part of her, she is thin and pale due to her weeks spent in hiding, Batman's initial treatment doesn't help much.

"Jackie, lets go home and get you settled. I picked up a few new things for you before I came by that I think should fit reasonably well. We can get more things tomorrow to get you settled." She looks up at me with eyes that I can tell want to trust me so bad. Getting her to forget her father may be easier than I anticipated. I was always told that raising girls was easier than raising boys, now I know why, girls want to trust you. She nods and stands up and follows me out. Alfred is waiting for us outside the GCPD. I introduce them and Alfred is kind as always. She smiles and gets in the back seat while I slide into the passenger seat. "I believe you'll enjoy the Palisades Miss Napier. It is a nice treat to get out of the city on occasion." Alfred pulls the car away from the curb into Gotham city rush hour traffic and Jackie stares back at the GDPD like it is the last time she can look into her past.

JACKIE POV

When I woke up next I was at the GCPD and it felt like a million people were buzzing all around me talking about adoptions and screenings and tests. I took a lie detector test first and I guessed I passed or something because no one mentioned it again. After that someone came in and gave me a really nasty drink that would supposedly help with detoxing or something. They seem to think I've been on drugs for a long time, long enough to detox. I mean, sure I want the stuff, but I don't need the stuff, not like Crow and the others. I hope they got away okay.

I wasn't interrogated anymore after the lie detector screening. They must have figured out that I really didn't know anything about the Joker that wasn't on the front page of the paper or on the 7 o'clock news. I am in a comfortable room, they call it the lounge, but I think they closed it for the day just for me because no one else is lounging in here. Every time someone comes in they lock the door behind them. Lots of the cops don't even look at me, like being the Joker's kid is contagious…

My thoughts wander to Batman a lot. I don't know what he looked like or the younger man in the room, Robin, I assume. Their voices resonate with me more than anything else. How it echoed off of walls and how Robin taunted me, pretending he knew me. From his voice I can guess he is older than me, but I already knew that. On the news he is always huge, build like a brick wall. Same goes for Nightwing and Batman and everyone else. Now I see why my dad always had a problem with me liking to watch them on the news. He probably had some PTSD about the Bats in hindsight. I always liked to watch them though because they always won. I never had to worry about whether or not they'd win or if one would get hurt because they never seemed to, they always won.

After a few hours of hanging out in the lounge, a large black woman walked in. Her hair was piled high on top of her head in long, skinny braids that she had tied up in a loose bun. She wore thick-rimmed glasses with a beaded chain on the ends so it hung around her neck like a necklace. She wore a red jacket and black slacks and she jiggled a little when she walked. And when she got close she smiled real big so I could see her gums. Her teeth were pearly white against her dark skin. I instantly liked her. She was like Aunt Jamima, but for child services instead of syrup.

"Hey, I'm Mrs. Carol and I'm here to help you. I'll be your child services director until you turn 18. We have found someone who is excited to adopt you and we will be meeting with him shortly to sign some papers." She talked like a kindergarten teacher. It put me at ease. I'll take any comfort I can get.

"Okay Mrs. Carol. Who is it, what's their name?"

"His name is Bruce Wayne, you've probably heard of him. He has adopted several older boys in the last few years. He is really excited to meet with you. Would you follow me?" I stand up and try to comprehend what she just said, billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne is adopting me. Why? What is his motive? Publicity? Charity? I guess I really don't care why the hero of Gotham wants to adopt the monster of Gotham's daughter, he is doing it, and my life is about to change. I might have a future. I smile lightly and try o kick all other bad thoughts aside. All of this will get easier to deal with in time, until then I have a future. My dad's face pops into my head but I push it aside, it's to upsetting. My parents are dead. I feel tears prick at my eyes but I push them away to. I'll never see my old home again, get used to it Jackie.

A cop joins us on our march and we walk into a tiny office. Bruce Wayne follows us in. He looks just like he does in the pictures and on TV. He is handsome and has a nice smile. He is wearing a suit with two buttons and a navy blue tie. I feel bad, I smell of gutters and weed and cigarettes. And probably other stuff I don't want to think about. My t-shirt is filthy and my hair is hanging in greasy strands around my face. My shoes have holes in the bottoms and my sweatpants are more brown than gray. I look at his suit again and his clean face. He smells like a JC Penny's perfume department although I imagine whatever he is wearing is a lot fancier than anything you can buy at JC Penny.

He smiles at me and introduces himself and says a little about his life and his sons and I feel less and less like I'm living in reality. I feel myself start to stare at his shoes and think about how shiny they are and guess how much they cost. I'm betting 65 dollars. That seems like a reasonable amount for a good pair of shoes. That is probably more money on shoes than I have ever spent. And how much could shoes cost anyway, It is just leather. I hear him talking to Aunt Jamima social worker, and then the cop says something to him. "Jackie, lets go home and get you settled. I picked up a few new things for you before I came by that I think should fit reasonably well. We can get more things tomorrow to get you settled." I look up at him and smile… I wonder if he really cares about me or not. And I wonder what he wants me to call him. I'll call him Mr. Wayne for now.

We walk out to his car and a nice British man named Alfred in a suit opens my doors for me . He thinks I'll like it at Wayne manor. I hope he is right. I really just want to be happy again, that is all I want. We drive away and I stare back at the GCPD like it is my final goodbye to my dad. I will never see him again, he will be locked away thinking of me for the rest for his life just like I'll be at Mr. Wayne's stately manner thinking of him… "Mr. Wayne, how much did your shoes cost?"

"I really have no idea, I don't pay much attention to price tags. A couple hundred maybe." He smiles and my eyes go wide.

"Oh, I had guessed 65." I hope he doesn't take that as an insult to his shoes…


	8. Chapter 8

**Yay! We're getting into some story here! Hope you're all enjoying the read. Please review, it keeps me motivated lol. **

JACKIE POV

It has been a few weeks since I moved in with Mr. Wayne. Aunt Jamima social worker thought I should keep a journal to straighten my thoughts, but I thought that was a dumb idea. My thoughts are actually pretty straight. Though, everything has been happening really fast. Mr. Wayne has been trying to keep me super busy to distract me from my dad I think. He also has me seeing a therapist. His youngest son, Tim says it is a standard operating procedure for Bruce to do that until his kids are settled. I mostly just go and talk about my life and what is happening and things that make me laugh. I am over the drugs. It was hard the first week or so, but now it is easier to deal with and I don't feel like I need it to sleep at night.

My Dad is not allowed to contact me and I'm not supposed to contact him. I have been told that it is time to start accepting that he is out of my life forever. I was really upset at first, but it's weird, I feel like part of the family here. I am going to a real school, some smoochy private place. It's the girl equivalent of where Tim goes. I wish it was co-ed. I miss talking to guys. All the girls are pretty catty, I pretty much blend into the background and try to stay quiet. I have met one girl who s really nice her name is Liza Moore. We have become pretty good friends. Her dad owns all the oil in Wyoming or something.

I don't think Tim likes me much. Maybe he feels replaced, that is what Alfred thinks, I'm not so naïve. He thinks I'm a monster because of my dad. I notice that reaction from a lot of people who have figured out who I am. A couple of girls at school figured it out and have made it their mission to make me miserable and show me how tough they are. Lets just say it would work out better for them if I actually cared what they thought.

I miss my Dad a lot, but I miss a life that doesn't and cannot exist anymore… I think I am starting to get that through my head. It took a week or two of crying myself to sleep, but I am starting to understand that he really was a bad man, he murdered hundreds of people and destroyed Gotham and the security of this city. Even though he was nice to me, that doesn't change what he did to others…. No matter how much it hurts, this is my home now.

We are trying to tackle me still calling Bruce Mr. Wayne. It's not that I'm uncomfortable with him, it just feels like, once I start being informal it will be real, and I don't know if I'm ready for reality to sink in yet.

BRUCE POV

I hate that I have to call, but I can't train her, I'm to busy… That's not true. I am a little hopeful that maybe this will bring Dick closer to the family again. He is my son after all, I hate that he gets so… distant.

I pick up the phone and dial his number, he answers on the fourth ring, "Hello"

"Hey Richard, it's Bruce." He doesn't sound super pleased to hear from me. We only really talk on missions at this point.

"I know, what do you want?"

I take a deep breath, There is no way he will agree to this, "I need to ask a favor."

He lets out a mirthless bark of laughter, "Why would I help you?"

"Well, it's a big favor, I adopted a girl, Jackie. Which I'm sure you know about. I need her trained, and you're the man for it." The phone is eerily silent for a few moments before his response.

"That doesn't sound like my problem, Bruce."

"Well, It's not a problem either way, I just know you'd be able to do a good job of it. I'm a bit... rough for a girl. You trained Barbara, you can do this." I knew Babs was a touchy subject, he did teach her everything she knows, but ever since the accident and them getting back together… asking him to teach the Joker's daughter may be the wrong approach.

"What, afraid she's going to grow up to hate you too?" Ouch.

I don't really know how to respond, but maybe I should appeal to his ego. He is a Wayne after all, in all but blood. "Well, you and I both know that is part of it. But also you have a more gentle touch."

I can hear Babs in the background, "I think you should do it, Dick. It would be good for you to have a partner, and it would be nice to have another girl around the house."

"Babs, this isn't any of your business..." I can feel her glare without even being there, Barbara Gordon is no one to tell that too.

"Well yes it is, she'd be staying with us. And I'd be helping of course. I'm part of this. Please."

"Babs I am not helping him." He pulls the phone away fromm his mouth, but I can still hear what Babs and him are saying.

"Yes you are, and if you wont I will."

"What? Babs! That's not fair!"

"It's not fair for you to say no just out of spite, you've been talking about a partner for months and now one is in your lap." There is another silence for a few ticks.

"You're my partner!" Dick always had a temper, the only person who I have ever seen be able to calm it down is Barbara.

"Don't yell at me and don't make me say it... Dick I'm in a wheel chair! I'm a good informant, I can't be out there getting criminals with you."

"But…" I can hear the defeat in his voice.

"Please dick, for my peace of mind. Meet her, at least meet her."

I take this opportunity to chime in, "We're having a party on Friday at Wayne manner, she'll be here, come and meet her." There is another silence.

"Fine." The phone goes dead and despite the way it ended I smile. Jackie will be a bat.


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry that this is a bit of a filler chapter, I have to set up a plot somehow. :P read and review, the next one will have a bit more to it. Promise. **

JACKIE POV

I walk into my room at the end of the day and go to jump on my bed when I realize there is something flowy and silky in my way. I take a closer look and say the first thing that pops to my mind, "Mr. Wayne!" I grab the item and start running with it towards his office where I know I'll find him. He meets me halfway on the stairs.

"What is it, is everything alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. What is this for?" I hold out a beautiful, soft, baby blue gown in front of me. "I can't wear it, it's too… nice."

"You'll have to, you're coming to a party we're holding here tomorrow night. It's a lovely shade, Alfred did a good job." He smiles his Bruce Wayne billionaire smile and I almost smile back despite my best efforts to be mad.

I can't go to a Bruce Wayne party, I have no manners and I'm not sophisticated, and this dress is way to… beautiful. I wouldn't fit in; I'd just make you look bad. Can't I just play Cinderella and hide in my room?" His eyes grow softer and more like my Dad's did when I used to get down on myself when I was little when I couldn't understand a math problem.

"No, you're my date actually. And you will be just fine. It will be fun, I promise." He smiles genuinely again.

"I couldn't be your date, Mr. Wayne... I'm not pretty or smart enough, or rich and well-mannered enough." I try to make it sound like I'm kidding, but he knows better and looks at me knowingly.

"Jackie, you're my daughter in all but blood, you're the prettiest date I have ever had. Please go, It'd mean a lot."

"Okay, just promise not to draw attention to me... and can we pretend I'm named Susan or something? I don't want anyone to know who I am. I know I'm not the only one in Gotham who watches the news... They all know you adopted me." I am always thinking like this, like by adopting me I make every one look bad. The news doesn't know why I'm not in prison; police even say bad things about me. The less people know about me, the better in my opinion. I know he will never agree though. He will say something about the people of Gotham being better than that. "I guess it wouldn't matter, they're all going to know, huh?"

"Jackie, it will be fine I promise. These people wont even think about it." He smiles and I try to smile back through the knot in my gut.

"What is the party for?"

"Its a welcome home party. Something to celebrate huh?" Well there is something I wouldn't have thought of. A welcome home party for who? I got here weeks ago, it can't be me. Maybe Dick?

"A welcome home party for who, Mr. Grayson?"

"No for you. It's something to welcome you to the family, and dick will be there with his girlfriend Barbara."

"But I came here weeks ago, I don't need a party." My head hurts, Not only will everyone know me at the party; they're all here to celebrate me. How can I hide at my own party? "Will lots of people be there?"

"About 50. Most of them will be friends though." Bruce seems to not realize the enormity of the situation for me. I am not ready for this.

"Mr. Wayne, I can't meet your friends. Everyone will be better than me. They all own oil refineries or countries. I can't compete with that. I'm just Jack Napier's daughter, I was homeschooled, I have absolutely nothing astonishing about me except that I'm good at laser tag and make some mean pancakes. I don't mean to sound selfish I just... I don't know what I will do with myself?"

"Just be yourself. We will all love you. And you're my daughter Jackie. No one will do or say anything." Like I said before, he always sees the best in everyone, no one is so good as to ignore the facts about someone like me.

"Mr. Wayne you keep saying that and I want to believe you, but I'm not the only one who watches the news. Even Tim hates me. How can you be so certain 50 strangers will like me?" He seems at a loss for words for a long time before he answers.

"Because they know who you are and they chose to come to support you. They want to show you that they don't care where you came from because you're family."

I feel defeated, this party is happening and if I go on for to long I'm just going to look more like a selfish brat then I already do. "Bruce I- I mean Mr. Wayne... Thank you for the party, I'm sure it will be fun." I turn around and wipe the tears out of my eyes. Tomorrow night is going to be awful and to make matters worse, reality is at the door.


	10. Chapter 10

JACKIE POV

I slide the dress on over my head and come out from behind the dressing divider for Alfred to help me with the lacing on the back. He is really good at it, I guess they teach a bit of everything in butler school.

I watch in the mirror as the dress starts to take its shape more and more with each soft tug of the satin ribbon on my back. The gown is just my size and really is stunning. The dress flows and moves with me like water, it is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen myself in. I brush my hair and pull it into a pony tail. Bruce offered to take me somewhere to get my hair done fancy, but I really just want as little fan fare as possible. I've given up on calling him Mr. Wayne after yesterday, I don't think Bruce even noticed the change, but this truly is my home now.

Alfred finishes up and I turn to look at him, "How do I look, Alfred?"

"Stunning, my dear."

"Do you really think that this is going to be okay?" He doesn't even pause before answering with the utmost certainty.

"Bruce would never invite anyone to your party that would make you uncomfortable." I smile awkwardly at him.

"Uncomfortable on purpose. He'd never intentionally make me uncomfortable." Alfred smiles and nods and I take his arm as he leads me to the top of the staircase where I am supposed to meet our guests. I pay close attention to my movements, not being used to high heeled shoes is a challenge for tonight, but I haven't fallen yet.

Bruce sees me and gets this huge smile on his face. "I was worried you weren't going to show up."

I smile back, "Alfred would have made me come."

"Yeah, but I'm pretty certain you could outrun him." Bruce winks at Alfred and takes my arm and we begin down the stairs. As soon as the ballroom comes into sight everyone looks up to see us. I try to focus on my feet and not falling down rather than 51 smiling faces of strangers.

Bruce makes me mingle for a bit, just long enough for him to take control of the conversation and all the adults to start getting a little fuzzy from the drinks. After about an hour everyone has had a bit to drink and Bruce doesn't even notice me go to a far corner of the room by the food table and nibble on little cubes of cheese and hope no one comes to close to me and realizes where I have chosen to hide.

Bruce and everyone else are talking amongst themselves. Bruce has most of his attention on a woman he introduced as Selina Kyle, but lot of people were there at introductions, and I could have the name wrong. Tim is around here somewhere, but Bruce must have invited friends of his because he is avidly talking to a blonde boy that is about his age. Everyone else is in small groups chatting. "Hey there."

I jump about a foot in the air at the voice. It's a tall man with a strong build and black hair and blue eyes. I recognize him from tabloids I used to read, Dick Grayson. "Hi, you scared me."

"I'm sneaky, I know. Richard Grayson, but you can call me Dick." He offers me his hand and I shake it. In the other hand he holds a glass of champagne that he offers to me.

"I'm okay, I'm only 15, I don't want to get Bruce in any trouble… Nice to meet you Dick." I smile and hope he goes away, but he remains planted where he is.

"I'm sure he'd want you to relax. Plus, you're at home, so it's perfectly legal." I take the glass out of politeness and take a sip. Every polite bone in my body died after that as I gagged.

"This is awful!" I put the glass down on the table and eat a square of cheese to get rid of the taste.

He laughs in a kind way, "If you'd like, we have fruity drinks. They tend to be better anyway."

"No thank you, I'll stick to sprite." I smile at him, "Thanks for the offer though."

"Alright. So, why aren't you out there talking to everyone? This is your party."

"Because I don't know anyone, and this isn't my party, it is Bruce's party."

"Well, now you know me." He smiles a younger version of Bruce Wayne Billionaire's smile and I smile back.

"That's true, and you seem to like me more than your brother." I smirk, but he takes what I say rather seriously.

"Tim? What is he doing?" I try to salvage the conversation before the only person who has talked to me all night gives up on me.

"Nothing, he is just talking to his friend. He doesn't like me much that's all." He nods and I think I managed to save the small talk.

"Well, he is missing out. You look beautiful by the way. You got your mother's looks."

"Thank you." I chew on the inside of my cheek, a nervous habit, and stare forward. I don't think I have anything about me to talk about that anyone here would find worthy of listening to.

"Are you alright?" He sounds concerned, I am such an idiot, he thinks I'm sick or something. Score one for sucking.

"Yeah I'm fine…" I may as well be honest, "I just have nothing in common with anyone here and nothing to talk about in polite society. Everyone here is so refined and beautiful like they go to parties all the time. This really is Bruce's party. I didn't even know about it until last night."

"Well, what do you like to do? And to be honest, I'm here for you, not Bruce."

"I like to learn, and I've always like gymnastics. I'm pretty good at laser tag, and I make some mean pancakes. That's honestly about it."

"Would you care to dance with me?" It sounds silly and weird, but I really wanted someone to ask me to dance tonight, if anything it made this horrible night worth it a little, even if he is my adopted brother and only doing it out of charity.

"Sure, I'd like that." At first it was awkward to get used to, lots of people were dancing, but I had never slow danced with someone before, and also, Dick Grayson has a good foot on me height wise.

"So how do you like being a Wayne?" He smiles and I can't help but to smile back. It is that damn Bruce Wayne charm.

"I don't know, I don't really feel like a Wayne."

"I've never really felt like a Wayne. When it comes down to it I will always be a flying Grayson." He grins wide and toothy like show people do on posters and I giggle a little.

"I guess I will always be a Napier."

"There isn't anything wrong with that though. Don't be afraid of being who you are. If no one else likes it they can deal." I like his attitude; he is pretty down to earth and up beat.

"There is something scary that people don't like about who I am, though."

"You aren't your father though. As long as you like yourself, who cares? Don't let anyone tell you any different either."

The same feeling I got when Batman said bad things about my dad came rushing back and I had to try very hard not to get offensive.

"I know it sounds bad, but I wish people would stop saying that. There is nothing wrong with being like the man I called my father. There is something wrong with being the Joker. If anyone knew anything about my life before everything came crashing down, they wouldn't say that." I try to keep my voice even and smooth like I was just stating a fact, but I gave myself away and he notices that I'm a little offended. I can see a response being formed in his mind quickly trying to mend the situation.

"Actually, you remind me of your mother, and no, there is nothing wrong with being like your father. Obviously he did a great job raising you." I smile, good try, Dick.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome Jackie see it's not that bad out here with the people?"

"I guess you're right." I smile and he returns the favor before leaving me at my spot at the table and walking back towards Barbara Gordon. I think I made a friend.

DICK POV

Babs grabs my hand and tells me to stop looking so stressed out and reminds me that this is a party and it is supposed to be fun. Bruce and the new girl walk down the steps. She smiles at everyone for a few seconds then looks down at her feet. She reminds me of Jason, very aware of her surroundings, she knows who is looking at her, who is judging her. That can be really good in our line of work, but also really devastating, she wont be able to keep worrying about what people say, she is not only a Wayne now, but soon will be a Bat, and not many people are as controversial in Gotham as the Bats.

Bruce stands at least a full head taller than her, she is tiny in everyway a lot like her mother was. And beautiful all things considered. "She's beautiful like her mom. I can see what all the hype is about now.

"The hype?" Bab's looks up at me and I smile at her. She is wearing a stunning forest green dress. It matches perfectly with her flaming red hair and blue eyes. The dark silk looks stark against her pale skin. I smile at her and get butterflies just like every time I have ever seen her.

"Yes, the news kept saying she was beautiful, constantly worried about the new Wayne girls looks as usual. She is shy like Jason, though. He used to always do that."

"What? Stare at his feet? He always was the shy one." Babs is the only person I can really talk about Jason with. It still upsets Tim and Bruce too much to mention around them, and ever since he came back as the red hood it has become even touchier than normal.

She pats my leg and then she rolls away to chat with Cassie and Selina leaving me to wait until the forced Bruce Wayne hellos with Jackie are over. Tim comes towards me with a grin, I sip my scotch and wait for it. He asks the same thing at every party since we were little.

"Hey Dick, what's up?" He grins and I smile back, but my eyes stay on Jackie. I'm studying her movements, trying to get to know her. I'm going to train her, Babs has convinced me that it is the perfect way to show Bruce I'm better, which may sound like a thirteen year olds vendetta against his daddy, but it is more than that.

"I'm good, what about you?"

"I'm good, other than this party… Think maybe you could do me a favor? You know how Alfred watches me and my buds like a hawk at these things. Get us some booze?" He gives me his best "Come on, I'm your little brother" grin I roll my eyes.

"Why don't you and Jackie get along?" Sometimes Tim needs to be shown the error of his ways, he is a 17 year old, you know?

"Come one, Dick. Just enough to get me and my bud buzzed?"

"Just remember to not spend all your time hating someone, Tim. She isn't him." Time rolls his eyes at me this time and walks off towards his group of friends. I walk towards Jackie who has resigned to the back of the room and is nibbling on rolls of turkey on toothpicks. She is so small, what if she gets hit and breaks in half. All the batgirls of the past have always been a little built to begin with, muscle isn't exactly this girls middle name. I shake the image from my head and look her up and down from a safe distance. Well, it can be done, it'll just take work. I'll have to get closer.

I get up close to her and say hello, I scared the holy bejeezus out of her, but she agrees to dance. I take it as an opportunity to see the muscles in her arms and core, or lack thereof. She is sturdy though, prolly from the gymnastics she mentioned earlier. She could do this. We part and she goes back to her hiding spot and I have to go and find Bruce and figure out a game plan. I have one rule, he has to tell her about all this, I'm not going there, I remember how I felt and how every robin since has reacted to the "we're all super crime fighters by night" speech, and I'm not going there.


	11. Chapter 11

BRUCE POV

It all went perfectly, Dick of course wanted to train her after meeting her. I knew he would. Despite his best efforts, I still know him better than anyone, including himself. He approached me after the party to let me know he would train the girl and I told him she would be ready by tomorrow night, which means I better tell her that I'm Batman ASAP. I walk down the hallway in the left wing where her room is and pause a few seconds before knocking on her door. We're not only still getting used to one another, but I am still getting used to having a daughter where knocking is absolutely essential. A few split seconds pass before she responds and tells me to come in. She is on her bed playing with a slinky with music playing lightly in the background from the radio.

"Do you have a minute, I have something sort of big to show you." She seems skeptical and sad.

""I don't want anything big or new dropped on me… Can we go without it?" I understand where she is coming from, the last she needs is anymore surprises sprung on her. But hopefully this is a good surprise.

"Well, it isn't going to change that you're a part of this family now, and it is a good surprise, not a bad one." Well sort of.

"Okay." She slips on the slippers Alfred bought her a few days ago and follows me out of her room and down the hallway into my father's old study.

"Well, Jackie, as you know, not everyone is as they seem. Well, the same goes for the Wayne's. You actually know more than most on this matter, but…" She looks at me like 'spit it out I don't really want to hear this' so I just walk over the desk and open the top of Shakespeare's bust where a panel of flashing buttons lie. I press them in the correct order and a distinct scraping sound of two metal sheets rubbing together comes from behind a painting of Nepoleon on the wall. I walk to the painting and swing the canvas outward like a door and a narrow set of grey steps descend from there. She has a look of horror on her face.

"You aren't murderers to are you?" She seems legitimately worried but I still have to stifle a laugh.

"Quite the opposite, actually. I know this is going to feel strange to hear, and I hope you aren't upset. We're actually crime fighters. All of us, Babs, Dick, Tim, me, and many others. We're what Gotham news reporters call, The Bat Family." Her eyes go from frightened to hopeful, which isn't exactly what I was expecting, but is certainly not the worst reaction even I have had with explaining this to people.

"You're Batman? Really? No kidding at all?" I shake my head and see a light in her eyes that is really reminiscent of the look Richard gave me when I first told him. It's a look that is half revenge and half redemption, and I know from experience it is something we can work with.

"No kidding at all. And, Richard would like to train you to be his new partner. He needs a partner, and if you're willing, I think you'd fit the part nicely." She gets a thoughtful expression for a bit then smiles very wide and nods.

"I would like that very much."

JACKIE POV

Batman, Batman and his family. I mean, I have always sort of liked watching them on the news and have always been on their side, even when Gotham made them out to be bad guys. I could show everyone that I'm not my father, even if no one knows that it's me. I can save people, maybe atone for the crimes my dad has committed, I can be a hero… That is why I said yes to Bruce, I want to show everyone that I am better than my Dad, and I want to show it to myself to. I know I can do this, I will keep up with my homework, I will go to college, and at night, I will be a Crusader! I can hardly handle my excitement.

I've been to the Batcave before under different circumstances, but now I'm here as a future hero of Gotham. Bruce is yammering about the inner workings of the bat computer and explaining different gadgets and how to hide identities, but I'm not listening at all. I figure Dick will explain it all to me all over again tomorrow when I start my training, and right now I am to busy in my own thoughts to care about anything he is saying. The little kid in me just wants to start pressing buttons and giving the computer commands and throwing Batrangs until I figure out how it all works. The "mature" 15 year old knows it is a dumb thought, and that I would probably blow something to the moon, but it is barely suppressing the button-mashing child inside.

I think Bruce figured out that his speech about justice and peace and what it really means to be a hero was lost on me right now because I wandered off and he stopped talking. Now I am just wondering the cave and thinking about what I will be able to accomplish and how I will fix everything my father ever broke. If I get good enough, I could even take down my dad, and maybe he could get well again and we could be a family… I just know this is the right thing to do.


	12. Chapter 12

**Here is another one. Hope you like it! Please review.**

RICHARD POV

I'm a little nervous about training her, I think I'm going to start with her he same way Bruce started with me. Full on attack and gauge her reactions from there. She is just so petite, I was a sturdy kid, so was Jason and so was Tim, even Babs is sturdy to a certain degree, but Jackie is…fragile. Maybe I'm thinking more of her mentality right now than her body. I know from experience that that isn't exactly how it works with human beings, and she can't be any worse off than I was when I got here.

The door opens above and she descends the stairs and smiles when she sees me, I wait for her to be down the stairs and about 10 feet away when I attack. "Defend yourself!"

JACKIE POV

Richard just jumped at me "Defend yourself!" He yells it loudly and it echos off the walls. The only things I can think to do is duck, so I do. I hit the deck and he flies over me, but before I can move he has my ankle and is sliding me towards him effortlessly. "Come on Jackie, do better than that, how will you stop me?"

I start to struggle against him and manage to free my ankle, I kick back and I connect with some part of him, but I don't look back to see what. I desperately move forward trying to find anything to defend myself with; there is no hope of me taking down anything with my strength, or basic lack-thereof. I grab a large wrench with a long handle from the table by the batmobile and turn back toward him. He is coming at me, "Remember, Jackie. No killing blows, body blows only with something like that."

I didn't need the advice because I panic before he is within reach and run again. I can see the water and one of the many waterfalls that line the walls of the cave up ahead. I have no idea how deep the water is, but I have nothing to lose, and I always could hold my breath for a long time. I jump into the water and go under.

The water is like a million pins hitting my skin all at once but I force myself to stay under the water and watch the rippling surface above for dick's shadow, it never comes and I can feel my lungs start to scream for air so I push myself forward in the water underneath the dock of the actual cave. The floor of the cave sits about 4 inches above the water and has several large grates that keep the water from flooding over the metal island when the water ever rises.

I come up for air near one of these grates and can hear Dick's footsteps on the metal floor. It is drawing closer and closer, the linked metal of the grate allows me to see where he is when he steps into view. He is crouched low like he is being hunted or like he is hunting, which both could easily be true in this situation.

I find myself watching him closely until he slips from view again. He was turning often watching all sides, I'll have to get at him where he doesn't expect it, which is only easily said. I start to swim forward thinking I may have a better view of what to do from a different grate when the grate is lifted up and I'm yanked out of the water by Dick as quickly as he would pick up a shirt from the floor.

"Nice try, but you'll have to try again. We're gonna do this until you can take me down." He smiles and puts me down then lunges at me again, in hindsight I should have kept the water try for later because my wet clothes seriously slowed me down.

He didn't lie when he said that we would do this until I could take him. A teacher with a "Learn by doing" method is sometimes a good course of action, but I did leave with a lot of bumps and bruises and scrapes and maybe a broken pinky finger, and as far as I can tell he wasn't even trying to hurt me. We worked on some methods of stalking and staying silent, we also worked on using shadows to my advantage, but mostly we stalked each other. I only managed to sneak up on him once and it's because Bruce came in and started yacking at him, and while they yacked I lunged at Dick and wrestled him down by pushing my whole body weight onto his neck.

He caught me in the rafters, he caught me underwater, he caught me under tables, he caught me in the batmobile, he caught me behind computers, behind him, behind costumes, behind giant joker playing cards, if I could hide in or around it, I did. And he found me every single time. And then at the end of the day he congratulated me, told me I was a fantastic student and told me to get some rest. I'll be honest, I don't think Richard Grayson knows what a good job means.

DICK POV

She thinks she did poorly, but actually she worked very well to her strengths and to my weaknesses. She figured out that I don't check my left side nearly as often as my right side. She also knew she couldn't take me in a headlong fight. And she managed to find every single vantage point and hiding spot in the entire batcave, and there are more than a few of them, 89 as far as I've counted. She even found one or two I hadn't though of, like under a few tables and behind mannequins.

She also used stealth and cunning well, as well as taking advantage of her surroundings. She is a different partner than any of us Robins have been. We always took fights straight on with no caution and no thought. She really thinks things through. Even when her plans didn't come to fruition, when asked she was able to give a detailed account of how the plan was to take place and how and why it would have worked if she had the proper skill and she was correct with every plan.

And the best aspect I can say for this new girl is that she never gave up. She didn't even complain. I would find her, foil her plan, catch her, knock her down, you name it. And she would ask for advice on what she could do better next time, and she would implement it in her next try. It got harder and harder to foil her as the day went on. I bet by the end of the week she will have the basic stealth and stalking styles down.

She is going to be easy to train. Much easier than any of us boys have been. Bruce should have thought about adopting a daughter years ago. She may not have the Braun, but she has brains and cunning like you wouldn't believe. I'm looking forward to tomorrow, we will do it all over again.


	13. Chapter 13

JACKIE POV

I feel like the days after that dragged on forever. Every morning my alarm went off at six in the morning, I was in the cave ready for action at seven sharp. Dick was always waiting for me. And we would spend all day going over the best ways to sneak up on someone, a million different vantage points in a million different places. Dick would bring up a three dimensional replica of a random building in Gotham, give me a scenario, then ask me vantage points and how I would handle the situation without being seen. At first I was a miserable failure at it, but after eight days of this I finally was able to answer each quiz question correctly, and could properly take him down in absolute silence without him realizing it nine out of ten tries. And finally he deemed my skills in stealth adequate to move on. He didn't tell me though that Bruce would be in my room at one in the morning telling me I had fifteen minutes to prepare myself and be in the cave.

This is where you find me now; I have been awake without any food and minimal water for the last 26 hours. Dick started out by checking all of my vitals. He checked my weight, blood, heart rate, cholesterol, the whole works. Then he had me out in weights, He had me lift the bar until my arms shook and I almost dropped it on myself. Them immediately moved on to pull-ups, then sit-ups. By six in the morning I thought I was going to black out, but that is when he brought me to the pool and had me swim 20 laps with no stops. I am not in bad shape by any means thanks to gymnastics and years of summer camps, tennis, soccer, and whatever else my Dad could sign me up for, but after the tenth lap my body failed me and I blacked out. The next thing I remembered was Dick dragging me out and giving me some water.

"Come on kiddo, you still have a long way to go" is all he said to me. After a few minutes he had me doing push-ups again then back into the pool. By ten in the morning he had finished working with my body and had me trying to catch him in the Batcave again just as we had been doing for days. Just now black dots keep swarming my vision threatening to blind me and I can't seem to keep my footing underneath me. I was only able to catch him five out of ten times the first try. I was making mistakes that I hadn't made since day one. On the second round of ten I only successfully caught him three times. He didn't let me stop until I caught him eight out of ten times on our fifth round. I think the only reason I managed that much was sheer force of will.

I can barely hold my eyes open by four in the afternoon when Dick sits me down and starts running the three-dimensional quizzes. He gives me a scenario involving Two-face holding Tim hostage in the courthouse, and I could barely keep my head around the idea. After a few minutes of contemplation I managed to find away around the riddle, but the more he threw at me the more my eyes started to droop. And despite my best effort I fell asleep a few times as he spoke. After two times of him forcing me back awake he yanked me to my feet and had me back in the gym running on a treadmill answering his scenarios and telling him vantage points in the more prominent Gotham buildings. Even as I ran I could feel the muscles in my legs twitching and my vision clouding over as I tried to decipher even what Dick was asking me, not only just managing to answer his questions correctly, which I managed only half the time anyway. It wasn't even a mile into the run that I blacked out again and woke up on the floor with Dick holding a water bottle to my lips.

"This is meant to be cruel, Jackie. It is all part of training. You have to be able to handle great stress and exhaustion in this field. Can you handle it?" All I can manage in reply is a slight nod. It is only noon. He gives me a few more minutes nursing a water bottle before going right back to his quizzing and my running.

The day was nearing an end, but Dick showed no signs of stopping the onslaught of testing he was putting me through. He had me lift more weights later into the night. By eleven at night I lost track of my body. It seemed to be running with a mind of it's own. I don't remember thinking at all in the last hours of Dick's terrible trials. I remember my body doing everything he asked. I remember falling over and over again because my legs would barely support my weight as he had me jump roping in place. I remember being excited when he stopped quizzing me as I worked. Mindless work was far easier on me then his quizzing as I pushed my body far further than I had ever had any reason to before. Finally at midnight he had me sit down as he took my vitals again as he had when we started. I remember him telling me I lost eight pounds in one day. I don't even know how that is possible. And I remember when he was done he told me to got to bed and that I had 24 hours to rest up before we did this again. This would be a trend for the next nine weeks.

I didn't even make it up the stairs I assume, I woke up sixteen hours later on the couch in the study in the left wing of the house. The Shakespeare head on the desk was closed and so was the Batcave entrance, but I'm fairly certain it was not my doing. I try to move to get something to eat, but every muscle in my body is locked up and protesting the movements. I force myself up only because my hunger outweighs my discomfort by a million to one. And it all starts again in eight hours. I shudder at the thought the push It from my mind. I can't give up. I will be a Bat if it kills me. Which is a very likely option at this point I think.


	14. Chapter 14

**I fell on the ice on campus today and ended up with a concussion, so proof reading may be a slightly slower process this week. I am a few chapters ahead on proofing, but it depends on how long the pounding behind my eyes persists. Stay with me. Hope you enjoy reading. Please review!**

JACKIE POV

The next few weeks fly by in a rush of pain and exhaustion. My shaky limbs slowly grew stronger and my weight went from dropping dramatically to increasing quickly as all the fat left my body and muscle grew. I learned to ignore pain and exhaustion in extreme conditions over and over again, day in and day out for the last nine weeks, and now my body is hard, my mind is sharp, and I can't imagine myself doing anything else but being a member of this Bat family. I start in the field training with Nightwing tomorrow night, and I'm excited. My first night on patrol as a bat. My costume is folded in the batcave, I helped design it, I can't wait to put it on and be out there. The girl who made breakfast for her dad just a few short months ago is now a batgirl.

And yet I still lay awake late into the night past a haze of drowsiness and aching limbs and think of my dad and my old friends and my old house. I think about how Ace came over every morning and ate toast with my dad. I think about how Dad kissed me goodnight every night like clockwork without fail, even when I thought I was to old for it. Sometimes at night I close my eyes and hold my belly to keep out the lonely ache that these memories bring on and I run through my old routine in my mind right down to the details. My images are getting fuzzy of my old room and my old things, but I can picture clearly as though it just happened, my Dad standing in the doorway to my room. The light blaring in the hallway and his outline standing in front of it, and I remember the curve of his face and his teeth glistening when he smiled at me. He would walk in and give me a kiss on the forehead and hold my shoulders and tell me to have sweet dreams.

And sometimes I can conjure this image as though seeing it in front of me, and it makes me sleep. Sometimes I think of it and all I can do it sob quietly into the silent dark of Wayne manor and think of him in a cell in Blackgate prison staring into his silent dark and I cry for his loneliness just as I cry for my own. I think about all the "what ifs" and how stupid I was for running away from him. We could have just moved, maybe he would have stopped now that I knew everything. Maybe maybe maybe, what if, what if, what if. But I know it is all rubbish. There is nothing I can do to stop any of this now, and I am better off here, where I can get an education and live a full and productive life with a million opportunities. But the ache doesn't ebb or dim with these thoughts, it is like when my dad would say, "I know what is best for you" it never made eating broccoli easier for me. Knowing I'm better off here doesn't make the lonely silence go away or become any cheerier.

I wonder if he feels the same ache in his belly at night when the day is done and there is nothing left to do but sit and think of me. I wonder if he will break out and I will have to fight him, or if he will break out and start a new life free from the prison he has made for himself. And I wonder if what I feel for Bruce could ever turn into a fraction of the love I feel for my real dad. And if it makes me a bad person for hoping that one day I could see Bruce in that way.

And after all these thoughts rush through my head I try again. I picture my old routine in my old house. The first door on the left, at the top of the stairs, the only door in the house that was white. And the lights are off and I'm in my dads old t-shirt under my baby blue plaid comforter. I look out waiting for him to come and give me my goodnight kiss before he leaves to his job for the night. I hear his heavy steps on the stairs as he walks up slowly, not wanting to leave for the night. I see his shadow coming from the lit hallway then his form in the doorway. He always paused before the door and smiled, no matter how tired or drawn he looked, he smiled at night. Then he steps in slowly and gives me a kiss on the forehead. I have the image so perfectly I'm surprised to not feel his kiss there when I think of it. And then he draws away and tells me to have sweet dreams, and I tell him, "Be careful" I hear myself whisper them out loud to my silent and dark room. Then he smiles and would say, 'of course baby girl.' I picture him blowing me a kiss then shutting the door behind him. A few moments later his steps would sound on the stairs and the hallway light no longer lights the crack between the door and the floor and the switch is flipped. The front door shuts and I lay awake trying to sleep.

I just keep imagining my old blue blanket and my old pajamas and my old white ceiling that slanted at the highest point. It's hard to do staring at the high ceilings and crystal chandeliers of my room in Wayne manor. I try to imagine my brown wooden doors, but it is hard to picture as well with the tall white doors to my walk-in closet. Soon enough I give up and just start thinking about tomorrow night, being Batgirl with Nightwing by my side. And I am finally able to get some rest as my heavy lids close.

JOKER POV

In ways it feels as if my sanity is slipping away every night as I stare into the empty darkness surrounding my cell. Sometimes I see her standing in front of me smiling as if I had just given her a puppy. And sometimes she tells me how much she hates me for everything I have ever done. In some odd cases I see her mother telling me just how much I did wrong to Jackie and that she hopes I die alone and unloved. At this rate I'm sure it will happen though.

I know it is just my mind wandering and me hating myself, but I can't help it anymore. Especially seeing how happy Jackie is with Bruce. The guards let me watch the news every night and my daughter is usually plastered across the screen. Most of the time it is just pictures and little clips of her and Bruce, so I don't get to see much of her. I can see how happy she is though and it eats me up inside to know that Bruce Wayne is a better father than me. Well I guess when you think about it like that he is bound to be a better father. I have no chance against him for winning the father of the year award. I wonder if she calls him "Dad" and has completely forgotten about me.

The second tears spring to my eyes I shake my head violently and directly move my attention to the small window located above my built-in sink. My heart races slightly at the illuminating glow of the Batsignal. The only thing I have left is Batsy and he took what I loved most away from me. He tried to be a hero but I'll show him what he really did. I am going to destroy this city and watch it burn to ashes while the once proud people scream and beg for me to take pity. I am going to make Gotham a replica of my dead, shattered heart. No one will survive me.

"Shut it, Clown!" A loud boom sounds across the bars at the front of my cage and a guard, Boles, appears holding his flashlight.

"Oh Franky, you really should learn to keep that fat mouth of yours shut..."

He never saw me lunge. He never saw the shiv, nor me lunging and he definitely didn't see the shiv enter his eyeball.

THE NEXT NIGHT JACKIE POV

I lean far over the edge of the building and then back at Dick for the hundredth time. He has already warned me that if I don't suck it up soon he is going to push me, but jumping from the roof of Wayne tower, the tallest building in Gotham then grappling to the next sounds intimidating to anyone, I think. The magnetic charge in my cape will keep me from plummeting to my death, but still, a hefty portion of my brain tells me that jumping off of buildings isn't the thing to do. I take a step forward then another step back and continue leering over the edge petrified to my spot.

"Any day now." I hear Dick sneer from my side. I look over at him with a smirk, he in his mask and suit with his arms crossed over his broad chest.

"Not everyday you learn how to jump off of a building."

"You better get used to it."

"Yeah, no joke." I take another step forward then force my foot to the empty air in front of me then free fall down. Falling is a feeling I've never had before, nothing like this. What feels like hours later I aim the grapple and hit the mark and swing to the next building and I pull myself up and yell back at Nightwing, "I did it! Take that!"

He copied my motion and stood next to me a few moments later, "Good, now do it again."

This continued all night, soon we were going from one building to the next with little hesitation. My adrenaline was pumping through my veins making me feel invincible, but eventually it ebbed away and made room for me to enjoy the experience and become much better at it, creating muscle memory.

He had me drop and aim batarangs at various locations, which wasn't much different from practice in the cave, which I perfected weeks ago. The night continued much like this until We both received messages from Bruce in our earpieces, "Both of you, back to the cave immediately. I'll explain when you're both here." The connection immediately went dead and we both started running back towards the car. As we ran I only had to think through three or four options before one stood out before the rest: my father must be loose.

DICK POV

As I quickly kept pace with Jackie's strides as we moved towards one of the many armored vehicles that Bruce keeps for us all to use he is filling me in on what is happening that is so urgent making me swear I will not tell Jackie until she is back home.

"It is very important that she not know until she is here in order for us to gauge a reaction from her." His message rang in my ears with clarity I could not deny.

Once at the car it is only a matter of minutes before we are back at the Batcave. She keeps looking at me like she knows that not only do I know what this is all about, but that she already knows what it is. It makes me uncomfortable to see her this serious. Just from the grim set of her mouth I can tell that she is thinking hard about how to react to my news.

We pull into the cave from the hidden entrance and once to a stop she is out of the car and rushing to the bat computer and searching.

"Name." Rang the singsong voice of the machine.

"Joker."

"Date"

"July 12, 2011."

"Checking…" The data showed up immediately and told was constantly updated every word that every new anchor in the city was saying automatically. The information would later be gone through and turned into one orderly spreadsheet by Bruce, but this cluttered mess had one clear and concise message, the Joker had escaped Blackgate.

Jackie stared quietly for a moment then turned to me, "I understand why Bruce had me come back, and I get why you have to go and find him now and help out." Tim walked into the door right as I nodded.

"Thanks Jackie, we wont be long." I was in the car and leaving again before the blink of an eye.

JACKIE POV

I don't even look at Tim; I know he is just here to make sure I don't do anything stupid. Bruce must have thought this would really affect me. I understand why he would think so, but despite how much I miss him and how much it hurts, I know that the Joker is not my father. I will probably never see my father again. My father was make-believe, the Joker is scum, a mass-murderer. And I want nothing more than to rave at Dick and Bruce and Tim and everyone else that I want nothing more than to find that monster and put him away where he belongs. Which is why I am surprised when Tim suits up and jumps in a car, "Are you just going to stand there, or are we going to go and break Batman's rules?" I pull my cowl back over my face and jump into the passenger seat.

I don't know why Tim is doing this, he has been known to go and help Batman against orders before, but why help me or bring me along, Tim acts like he hates me for the most part. I push it from my mind and focus on what Dick taught me tonight as we drive towards the narrows of Gotham City.


	15. Chapter 15

**I did correct the rest of the chapters, but due to a sever concussion I'm not certain how good I did. I tried my best, try to be kind. **

BRUCE POV

Dick's voice is in my ear explaining that he is on his way here right now. That is all well and good, but he needs to get here a bit faster. The Joker is long gone, but he has left an army of dangerous Blackgate prisoners streaming out of the giant hole the Joker left behind in the prison wall. The guards in the prison have managed to get the remaining cells shut off from the rest of the prison, but it has left about 200 prisoners running in all directions for me and the police of Gotham city to contend with.

I am vaguely aware of Dick arriving and joining in the fight to the right of me, his cars engine receding into the background as the remote control inside of it automatically returned to the cave. I hate nights like this, half of them are still going to get away and it is going to set us all up for a pretty bad month of getting most of them back into the prison.

The fight is starting to look more in our favor when I hear two sounds that unnerve me at once. The first is the sound of a batmobile coming towards us, nothing should be near here, and the only people that could be in that car are under my strict instruction to stay far away from this place tonight. The other noise was far worse than the first, the Joker's laughter.

I take a second to look and see the Tim and Jackie are in fact here against my wishes, and then to my right the Joker is running out shooting inmates without a second glance. I immediately move towards him, "Dick, Tim and Jackie. Now." I hear his muffled "uh-huh" right before moving my attention back to the clown giggling in the yard. If he sees Jackie she will be his next target. He has always made it a custom to initiate new Bats in his own sick way. She isn't ready for someone like him, even more so than any of her predecessors.

I catch the Joker off guard and knock the gun out of his hands. He falls to the ground and looks up at me, "Oooh Bats! So glad you could join in the fun!" He jumps to his feet and plays his regular game of evading my punches and cracking jokes. I manage to slow him down quite a bit with a few well-aimed batarangs before he notices Jackie off to the west beating up inmates and helping the police to get them to a safe area. "Oh, a new Batgirl. You just can't help but expand the family, now can you, Bats!" He skips off and I chase after him, but he is on her before I can stop him,

Jackie just barely was able to evade his attack, side stepping him just in time to avoid him tackling her to the ground. While he regained himself she took her chance to get behind him where he wouldn't notice her as quickly. This was smart on her part; she is very sneaky, much quieter than she is strong, and very cunning. As soon as the Joker stood up she hit four pressure points in his back that made his right arm completely numb. Then another three spots on his left shoulder blade that would substantially weaken his left leg, he stumbled forward just as I reached them and I grab him by the orange collar on his prison jumpsuit. "Batgirl, out of here! Now!" She ran off to help Tim somewhere out of my line of sight.

The Joker looked up at me with the same leering expression as always, "Take me away, Bats. You know you want to, cuff me, book me. I'll just break out again, and this will happen all over again." I grab him by the nape of his neck and cuff him and just as I turn to take him to the nearest patrol car a sharp crack resounded in my head and my eyes go black. The next I awake I am in the batcave and Alfred is discussing the ins and outs of concussions somewhere in the room.

JACKIE POV

The night went well all things considered. Bruce got hit in the head pretty hard, but it was towards the end of the night. Tim took Bruce back to the cave after Ace smashed him in the head and whisked away the Joker. I tried to stop them but thought better of it, remembering Bruce's warnings about always having a partner around the Joker. I suppose that is what got him in trouble tonight.

I am having a hard time getting the Joker out of my mind, so unlike my father. I find it hard to believe that they are the same person. And fighting him was far easier than I anticipated it to be. It was like fighting any other bad guy.

On top of confusion about my Dad and the Joker, I have a lot of confusion about Tim. I'll need to talk to him about what he feels towards me because tonight he treated me like part of the family and looked at me in a way that… well a way he has never looked at me before. It looked something like a crush, but that doesn't make sense and I dismiss it before my thought can continue, I'm supposed to be a detective and I'm daydreaming about schoolyard crushes.

I look over to Tim who is in the training room on the other side of the cave practicing his sparring, I watch him move, hawk-like in his precision for a while longer before going in to join him. As he goes to land another blow on the mannequin in the room I jump in his way and block the punch. He grins under his mask and I grin back from my cowl.

His punches were hard to keep track of, he was fast and smooth in his motions and almost impossible to guess his moves. Most of my fighting skills lie in the element of surprise and incapacitating my foes as quickly as possible with well placed hits and jabs designed to deem them immobile or numb. It was much harder to do to Tim than to the prisoners from earlier in the night, but I managed to get his right arm to hang limply at his side giving me a slight advantage in fighting although he was still a fierce opponent with his handicap.

Finally after several intense minutes of sparring together we drew away from one another with unspoken consent and I gave him use of his arm back again. Bruce did not normally teach the techniques I knew to the boys because of their strength, but he knew what I lacked in size and strength I make up for in stealth, cunning, and speed. Tim looked up at me with gratitude and he wiggled his fingers and flexed his arm again. "You did good tonight."

I find myself blushing at the compliment despite my best efforts, "You too, thanks for going with me, even though Bruce is going to flip when he comes to."

"Yeah, not a problem. They're always trying to keep me cooped up here." I smile at him and he smiles back. I think a friendship may have just been born.

JOKER POV

"Ace! Get my arm working now!" My arm is still numb since Batgirl decided that she wanted to play. Next time I see her I need to remember to hit her as hard as possible just for some payback. It tends to be quite inconvenient not being able to use your arm.  
Ace pokes my shoulder again in a few seemingly random spots and my fingers instantly start to tingle.  
"About damn time!" I shove him away roughly and move over to the window. Outside. It seems eerily peaceful. I'm sure bats is out there making it a perfect world. I didn't realize I hated him this much since he took my baby. I'm going to make that bastard wish he never saw her. Gotham is going to burn.


	16. Chapter 16

TIM POV

"Tim, What is going on with you? You've been ignoring me for months and then last night you sparred with me and helped me get at my Dad. I'm just confused." Jackie just blatantly asked that and I am still staring at her like she has grown a second head.

"Well, if I remember right you sparred with me, and plus Bruce's rules aren't always the best things to follow. I need to show you the real ropes. And you may not be all that bad." She smiles and why I've been avoiding her for months comes rushing back. She is absolutely beautiful in every way.

"Oh… well then what now? We friends?"

"Yeah. We are friends. I can be friends with a really beautiful girl." She smiles at me in the same stunning way.

"Thank you, Tim." She saunters away from me. I suddenly realize I don't want her to leave yet.

"You don't have to thank me for being honest." I smile goofily at her.

"Well you're not bad looking yourself, Tim." She turns and walks away from me again leaving me looking after her with a stupid look on my face.

"That was smooth little brother." Dick puts his arm around my shoulders.

I feel an immediate hit to my pride knowing that Dick saw my attempt at flirting with Jackie. "Shut up, Dick." I start to walk away from him but he follows just like always.

"Come on, I'm her partner. I can get insider information from her."

"I don't want to know. Girls are stupid anyway." I keep walking trying to get Dick off of my back, but I know deep down that it wont be that easy, and he does have a point.

"You're sixteen, we all know you don't think girls are icky anymore. Let me help you out.

I walk over to a punching bag in the corner of the batcave and start hitting it. "Dick, girls are stupid because the ones you like never like you back and think you're a stupid jerk." Saying it out loud makes my crush seem even more silly.

"She doesn't hate you. She probably even likes you back. You just have to show her you're not a stupid jerk."

"How do I do that." I sneer at him and keep going. I've never been as good with the ladies as Dick or Bruce.

"I can ask her if shed go on a date with you, she's a lonely kid she'd say yes. She wants you to like her."

"How do you know that?" I feel pathetic, but him asking her on a date for me sounds like a pretty good idea.

"Because she has talked about you during training. It bothers her that you didn't talk to her. She will say yes, let me do this for you, man." I think about that really hard for a moment before answering. Then what he said really hit me.

"She's talked about me?" I feel a smile spread across my face.

"Yeah, she talks about you a lot. She wants you to like her."

"Alright… You can say something to her… But wait! What are you going to say?" Dick smiles his billionaire smile and runs off.

"We're on patrol tonight, I'll take care of it!" I go back to not thinking about it. I hope he doesn't ruin this for me.

JACKIE POV

I'm glad Bruce let me go out on patrol tonight. He was worried about how I would feel about it after seeing the Joker. But I am actually pretty excited to be out , and, in particular, to see the Joker again. Seeing him made every bad feeling go away, now I know I can do this. I am brought out of my reverie by Dick looking at me and smiling.

"So, what do you think of Tim?" he stops moving and smiles over at me. We are on top of the US bank building; it has been a slow night, nothing but purse robberies and one rapist in an alley.

I blush slightly then look away from him. "What do you mean?"

He smirks at me, "Just what I asked. What do you think of him? Cute, Charming, something?"

I smile to myself then stop, "He's sweet I guess. He doesn't seem to like me much, though. So it doesn't matter."

"Are you sure about that?" He chuckles slightly.

"Well yeah, he ignored me for months. He wasn't exactly yearning for my friendship."

"I know he is definitely yearning, he actually has a big crush on you." I laugh slightly at what he just said. It seems so obvious but I can't make myself believe him.

"Seriously?"

"Yes… Why are you laughing?" I keep laughing for a few more seconds before I respond.

"Because it seems so obvious now that you've said it!" Dick starts to laugh to and pretty soon we're both rolling.

"But in all seriousness, he is too shy to ask you out."

"So he is having you ask me for him?" I smile at the thought of a date, I've never been on a date before.

"Basically, yeah. So, what do you say?"

"I've never gone out with anyone. I don't know…" I am really nervous, my dad never let me date. I didn't even know any boys when I lived with him. Now I don't know any girls.

"How about you guys go to a movie tomorrow night. Simple as that."

"Well, okay. I guess it couldn't hurt. Bruce wont be mad?" I think Bruce has more important things to worry about then us going to a movie, but still.

"No, not at all."

"Okay then, that's decided." I grapple to the next building and can hear Dick right behind me. Now I can think about my first date. I smile to myself.

THE NEXT NIGHT

I am looking out over Gotham's vast cityscape from the hood of Bruce's Camero. I don't know how Tim managed to get him to say yes to him borrowing it, but it is a beautiful, fast silver car and despite everything we took it for a spin to the top of the largest hill in the Gotham area to look over the city. From here is it easy to imagine that nothing bad ever happens in that city. The twinkling lights of the skyscrapers make it seem like a much happier place to be.

Tim is next to me, we went and saw a movie which neither of us watched. I don't know about him, but I was too preoccupied with holding his hand to notice the movie. He really is a sweet boy.

"What do you think?" Tim asks from his spot next to me

"That this is the best way to look at Gotham City. It's beautiful up here."

"So what made you say yes to a date with me?"

"I suppose that you're a nice guy, and we live in the same house and I barely know you… and you called me beautiful, which no one has ever done. And you're my first date. Why didn't you talk to me for so long?" I really want to know. It is sort of odd for me that suddenly he wants to date me when just a few days ago we were not on speaking basis.

"I don't know, I'm shy, I guess. Afraid you wouldn't like me, a myriad of things…" he kicks some dirt with the tip of his boot. "As for getting to know me, ask away. Free unlimited questions."

"Okay, why do you live with Bruce?" I'm dying to know if he is an orphan or not. It didn't seem polite to ask him outright. So I'm taking a more subtle approach.

"Because I kind of forced myself on them. I became robin on my own choosing and followed them around. So after I was initiated Bruce wanted me closer." He smiled as if lost in thought, and he stealthily avoided my question. I decide to give up on my beating around the bush.

"Oh, I see. Do you still have parents then?"

"My mother passed away after being captured by Obea Man while on a trip to the Carribean. My mother passed away shortly before I completed my training, my father is still in a coma. Bruce adopted me after that.

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

"That's okay, the pain of it never really goes away, but I have a new life now. I had to work hard to earn this life."

"I rather got dropped into this life." I think back on the last few months of training and hardships and shudder.

"You stayed didn't you? You could have walked away and hung up the cape. You didn't have to stay, but you did. That's earning it." He smiles and I can't help but smile back. I can feel myself falling for him, it's a new feeling.

"Well what choice do I have, plus I have a thing or two to prove."

"It's an admirable trait, you feeling you need to prove something. Bruce looks for that."

"Okay since you know so much, what am I trying to prove, detective?" I wink at him so he knows I am kidding around.

"My guess would have to be that you want to show everyone that you're not him. And you're not. You are far more attractive than him. And you can call me Tim." He just smirks a little and moves closer to me.

"Well thanks. But you're only half right, Tim." His hot breath being so near to my skin makes a shiver run up my spine. I want him to kiss me.

"What clue did I miss?"

"That I'm not trying to prove anything to anyone but myself."

"I think you know that you are not him though." He turns to me and looks at me deep in the eyes like he wants me to see a reflection of everything he sees in me.

"I may take more convincing than you." I smile and shiver again as he breathes out warm air onto my face.

"Well I have faith in you." He leans towards me more so he his looking down into my eyes and he places a hand on my waist.

I can't take it anymore and I lean in and kiss him on the lips. It felt just the way a first kiss should feel. His hand moved away from my waist and up to cup my cheek. I lean into his hand then pull my lips away from his slowly but leave my face caressed in his hand.

"Well that was nice." He pecks the tip of my nose and smiles at me again. Suddenly he seems even more handsome than he did before the kiss.

"Yeah, it was." I kiss him again. Best night of my life.


	17. Chapter 17

**Bit more Joker in this chapter for you all. The story is nearing to the end! Only 2 chapters after this one and I think the ending will surprise even you!**

JACKIE: TWO DAYS LATER

Well, Tim and I made the front page of every tabloid in town. I still get tingly all over when I think of Tim and our date. Now Dick and I are scouting out the Joker's whereabouts and I must put those thoughts aside, I have to be able to fight when ready.

Dick is beside me and I can hear his breathing. He has the same reaction as I do when Ace walks out of the building to let in a group of men and then go back into the warehouse quietly we both sharply intake breath. We are deep in the narrows and have found where my Dad has been staying. "That was my uncle… My Dad has to be in there. We could get him now no one would know we were com-"

"Shhh!" Dick puts a hand to my mouth and watches closely. "Stay put." He jumps off from our hiding place then grabs the ledge to the top window. He drops down to the ground form the window sill and then is immediately attacked by my Dad's men and my Dad. I do not see Ace among them, but the Joker is laughing maniacally.

"Oooh little birds have found us, men!" He looks up at the rooftop I'm sitting on, but not at me, something behind me. I turn around to see Ace running towards me. I don't think before I leap at him. I land a solid punch to his jaw, but before I can land another hit he turns tail and runs. I look behind me to check that Dick has it under control, which he does. My Dad has already left, firing a few shots aimlessly behind him. Dick is finishing off the last guy. I point in the direction I'm running in and Dick nods. I chase after Ace determined to catch him.

I am caught up within moments, No obstacles are standing in my way whereas Ace is on the ground where he has had to jump more than a few fences and dodge several pedestrians. I find a spot right above him and drop down not 6 inches behind him. I reach forward and jab him carefully at differing pressure points in his back that make his legs collapse underneath him. He looks up at me and grins.

"What are you gonna do, take me in?"

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Come on, girly. I have a family." He shrugs and gives a crooked smirk just like he always has. I feel a pain in my chest with his familiarity.

"A family," I scoff, "I doubt it. If you cared about a family you wouldn't be working for a monster like him."

"A brother and a niece, my brother needs me here, it's no business of yours, but there you have it." The gravity of his words sink in and I realize that every time my Dad would "go on a trip" or "Be away for work" it was when Ace would be "out of town" or "traveling." And it hits me suddenly that My Dad would not be able to function without Ace. Things would get worse and worse until my Dad just went mad. He needs Ace more than anything else. And that's why I did what I did…

"I'm not taking you in. Don't ask why, you're not worth my time." And I ran away back towards Dick to deal with whatever it is that he is going to dish out.

I run into Dick faster than I expected, he was running towards me. "Dick, I let him go. I'm sorry."

"What?" He has this slack jawed amazed look on his face.

"I let him go... I was worried that if I took him in the Joker would only be worse, it has happened before." His face returns to a semblance of normal before he answers me.

"What is that suppose to mean? He's bad no matter what."

"I just realized that all through my childhood, every time Ace would disappear for a while the Joker would be on the news for something big."

"How would he be able to keep the Joker tame? It just doesn't make sense…" He looks like he is hatching a plan. I've seen him look like this before when on a case.

"Yeah, it would be like if I died, we're his only family. He would lose it!." His eyes finally light up and I can basically see the light bulb above his head.

"So if you died… he would be at his weakest?"

"Well yeah, I'm his everything. But I'm not letting you kill me." I am pretty sure that isn't what he is going for, but I figure I'll make my side clear. He smiles and chuckles slightly.

"Batgirl, we need to talk to Batman." He runs off towards the car and I follow closely behind getting a horrible feeling in my gut about this.

"I don't like this, Dick. Do we have to talk to Bruce about this?"

"Why? It's the best way to catch him! I can't believe we never thought of this!" He seems really excited, but I don't like it. It'll kill my Dad if he thinks I'm dead.

"Because it would kill my Dad! I could be responsible for thousands of deaths before you catch him."

Dick seems to think for a few minutes before finally sighing. "We need to talk about it with Batman first though. He will know."

"Okay Dick... I trust you."

JACKIE POV

Basically before I can blink I am in Gordon's office in the middle of the night as Jackie Napier with Batman towering over me. I am doing an okay job of looking thoroughly scared, which isn't to hard because I am pretty upset about this whole deal.

"Jackie has agreed to this plan already, commissioner Gordon." I nod and look back at my feet trying hard to remember how I acted around Gordon before all of this.

"Tomorrow morning I'll break the story, you'll have to stay hidden until he is caught or until it is obvious this plan isn't working… Can you do that, Jackie?"

I nod at him, "Yes sir, I can do that."

And he was right, the next morning the story broke on every major network and in every newspaper and magazine in Gotham city. I was mugged on my way out of a movie last night and stabbed when I defended myself. The killer got away and I died shortly after authorities arrived on the scene.

The paparazzi were outside of the mansion like flies on a cowpie all day, and Bruce suspects they will be fore a long time, as if they every leave anyway. I am not allowed near any windows or doors. Everyone is supposed to look somber, but it isn't necessary, worst case scenario they will make the paper saying, "Wayne boys already over new sister's death" or something along those lines.

Tim spent the day working out with me, and talking to me. We're really hitting it off, I like him a whole lot. I hope that after this is all over we can be an item, he has talked about it to, I think he wants it as much as I do. My first boyfriend. I grin just thinking about it.

I think that it was mostly that I COULDN'T leave the house that made me so crazy to get out of the house, but getting out, even as Batgirl was a huge relief. Dick and I were given specific instructions to get away from the Joker, which bothers me a bit, but it bothers me more that I couldn't be close to Tim and that we can't even go out anymore thanks to this whole… being dead thing. I really like him and I can't get him out of my head, which is why Dick keeps having to remind me to pay closer attention while we're out.

When we get back to the Batcave we can cross several muggers and drug dealers and other low lives off of our list for the moment, but not the Joker. Bruce and Tim saw no hide nor hair of my Dad all night. Which means longer for me to pretend to be dead in this big lonely house, and another night of feeling horrible for destroying my Dad the way I know I did. I can only imagine how he felt when he heard the news, Probably a lot like how I felt when I found out he was the Joker. That thought is the only thing keeping me okay about this, that maybe deep down, I think he deserves it.

JOKER POV

"There is nothing on!" Ace keeps flipping through the same fuzzy 14 channels we manage to get by precariously balancing a wire coat hanger on top of the old TV in my room.

"Football re-run, football, re-run, religion, religion, religion, PBS, news, news, news." says Ace as he flips through them again. Suddenly, a familiar face is plastered across the screen and my heart stops at the words I barely manage to catch before the channel changes.

"Ace, stop. Go back." He obliges and sets the remote. 'Joker's Daughter Found Dead!' is in bold words above her picture.

"Jackie… it can't be." My chest feels as if it is about to cave in on itself as the image fades to the background and a reporter starts talking.

"Jackie Napier, daughter of the Joker and most recent ward of Billionaire Bruce Wayne found dead this morning after what appears to be a mugging last night..." My baby is dead. I faintly see Ace turn and look at me but I can't hear whatever it is he says. All I can feel is heat boiling up through my neck and ears while my hands start to moisten causing the purple gloves to become sticky against my skin. To be honest I don't even know if I'm breathing anymore and the world is spinning in some sort of nauseating pattern around me.

I can see Ace's lips moving but can't make out what he is saying; everything is garbled and blurry like I am experiencing everything from deep under water. Jackie can't be dead, she can't be. This has to be some sick joke, it has to be. How can my beautiful baby girl be gone and I'm still here? She doesn't deserve to be gone; that was my future, not hers! She was so innocent and young. I destroyed her life in every way possible. A raspy gasp escaped from my trembling lips as my body manages to finally suck air into my burning lungs.

"Jack! Listen to me!" His voice crashes through my mind and causes me to look up at him. I didn't even notice I was crying. "Jack, you need to breath. Slowly and calmly."

'It appears as though she struggled against her attacker for several moments before she was stabbed 14 times in the chest and back, one of which severed her spinal chord. Examiners believe she died immediately after this occurred. Our condolences are with that of her loved ones.'

"Jack!" I'm briefly aware of my hands shoving him away from me and my body shakes as it stands too quickly. My knees buckle from under me and I catch myself on the side of my mattress. I need to get out of here though, I need to get away from this now. Working through the buzzing in my ears I force my legs to carry me through the door and as far away as possible.

Colors rush past me in a blur for what seems like an eternity and I'm sure Ace is trying to find me now. But I don't care. I don't need to care anymore. She's gone...

There must have been something I could have done. I could have saved her. I needed to save her...She needed her Daddy.

I feel a sharp snag as a tree branch hits me in the shoulder and causes me to stumble against another one. When did I get to a park? My mind can hardly keep up anymore and it scares me. I slump against the bark of the tree as my knees once again give out and shiver at the thought of her being alone in the dark all scared and hurt. With her attacker hovering over her wishing nothing but harm upon my baby. I retch as the contents of my dinner come back up in a burning rage that leaves a dull ache deep in my core. My shoulders shake violently as I'm left with nothing but hot sticky tears and a horrible feeling that only makes me wish the world would end.


	18. Chapter 18

JACKIE POV

I am lying in my dark bedroom, all of the curtains and blinds are closed with the TV on very quietly in the background. I am just staring up at the ceiling, not really paying much attention to anything other than my mind numbing boredom that I cannot seem to escape despite my best efforts. I just want to see the sunlight, that's all I ask. It has been a week since my "death" and no one has seen any sign of my Dad coming out of hiding and all I can do is busy myself working out and training until nightfall, when even then I am told to stay far away from anywhere my Dad may be.

I can hear Tim coming before I hear his knock at my door, the second his knuckles fall on the hard wood I answer him, "come in!" He lets himself in and settles down next to me. I roll over and put my hands on his chest and rest my head on him. He is the only thing keeping me sane while I'm all cooped up.

"Hey, Jackie. Thought you may need some company." I smile at him just as he returns the gesture.

"You've very sweet, Tim. You know me all to well." Tim and I have been spending a lot of time together lately, Bruce doesn't exactly like it, but he hasn't stopped us, though there is an open door policy now when Tim and I are together. Not like we would do anything yet, and not like Bruce is likely to be waltzing about his large estate throughout the day to check on us.

"Jackie, what do you think love is? What do you think it feels like?" I jump at the noise and then realize what he is asking me. My Dad always taught me that love is something that develops slowly and gradually, love had barely crossed my mind. It had barely been a month since Tim and I started seeing each other and it seems soon to be thinking that it is actually love. And I'm only 15, what do I know about love, and how do I answer this without hurting Tim… By telling the truth of course.

"I think that love is something that you feel when you cannot imagine your life without someone. When you picture your future, they're there without a shred of doubt in your mind. What do you think?"

"I think I may be falling in love with you, Jackie." I look up into his eyes and can see his sincerity and all my ideas about love fall short to what I can see in his eyes.

"Maybe love is something you can fall into really quickly and out of the blue over someone really special… Tim I care about you a lot, I just don't know. It's really soon and with my-" He puts a hand to my lips gently and I stop talking.

"Jackie, you don't have to say it back right now, I will wait. I didn't say it to you to hear it back, I said it so I am certain that you know how I feel." He smiles and I smile back and exhale a deep breath I didn't even know I was holding.

"Tim, don't get me wrong, I care about you a lot, I'd be devastated if something happened to you, just love is a big word and I'm not ready to say it yet." He nods and smiles at me again assuring me that it really is okay that I didn't say it back.

"Like I said, I will wait as long as I have to." We go back to watching the movie and nothing else is said on the subject. I think this is why Tim and I work so well together, we are both really open and okay to be that way. Nothing hurts our feelings because we are both to philosophical and studious to let petty things bother us. It is all a case that needs solving. That is probably thanks to Bruce, and I am grateful for it. Not being too emotional is an easier way of going through life.

ACE POV

It has been a week since Jackie's death hit the news and I really don't know what to make of Jack's reaction at all. He is normally always the guy with the plan. He is put together and has a job to do, and this entire week he has been different. After the day he found out about it he has not said one word, not even a mumble since. He has mostly been hiding in his room, I've only seen him a few times and he looks grim, like any moment a big crack will split down his face from chin to forehead and he will just crumble into nothing. I don't like it. Sad Jack, I can handle, angry Jack I can do that too. Nothingness, blank, destroyed Jack, I am lost on what to do about. How do you comfort someone after that? This isn't a normal person losing their daughter, this is Jack, he isn't exactly right upstairs in the first place, and some street grub took just about the only stable part of him and stabbed it with a knife a dozen times or so.

I continue to work on the meal he won't eat. I pop the toast out of the toaster and put grape jelly on it and grab a glass of milk that expired a few days ago but still smells all right. I start to head up the stairs and hesitate in front of his door. Come on Ace, it sucks, but you have to at least give it a try. I knock twice then let myself in and walk over to him. He is holding his head in his hands at his desk, staring straight ahead at the gray cement wall holding a framed picture of Jackie and Him at Christmas last year. Just where I left him. I pick up the barely touched plate from yesterday and put the new plate down in its place. He doesn't even look at me. I sigh, "You should eat something Jack, at least drink the milk or something. You'll die up here if you don't soon."

"What?" He looks at me puzzled. At least there is a sense of life in him.

"You should eat something."

"Why?" He doesn't have much fight in him, I can tell he has barely slept. He looks like hell.

"Because you'll die if you don't. Eat something."

He sort of chuckles in a dry cracked voice, "What do I have left, Ace?"

"Yourself, me?"

"But not her." I can't stand it anymore, she was my niece, I loved her to. I'm not being sucked into a black hole.

"You still have her, she wouldn't want you to die. Now eat something."

"Ace...I'll eat if you promise me something." I hesitate before responding. I know he means it, he will eat if I make the promise. But I have no clue what he will ask. He will probably just starve to death up here if I don't promise…

"Anything."

"I need you to leave. You and all the rest of the guys, leave for good." I immediately start shaking my head no.

"I wont leave you now, not like this. No way." I already can feel the more rational side of my head telling me that this is my chance. That I've wanted him to send me away for years, finally to be told that despite him needing me I can leave. But the part of me that always wins is fighting me on that. The big brother in me that knows that Jack is in there and he needs my help.

"You'll have to chase me out. I'm not leaving you here alone. If something happened to you while I was gone, then what?"

"Don't make me chase you out, Ace." He turns to look at me and his eyes tell me what I should do. I should leave. No matter how much I love him, no matter what I do, I can't change him now. And with that thought in mind, I turn away from him and walk down the stairs.

I shut the door to the run down warehouse behind me and I lock it and throw the key as far as I can. It lands far enough away that I can't hear a noise when it hits the ground. I glance up at his window one more time and I have a gut wrenching feeling that I'll never see my brother alive again.


	19. Chapter 19

**This is it you guess, sticking with us for 19 chapters. **** We appreciate it a lot. **

JACKIE POV

We know from recent transmissions from Ace's cell-phone that he has been sent away from the Joker and so have all of his normal goons. The Joker is completely helpless, the only thing stopping us is that we have no idea where he is. We have to wait for him to come out of hiding, which is driving me insane because if I know my Dad, he is going to be so upset that he may get himself killed.

My Dad used to get in some pretty serious funks when I lived there. Ace said it was normally about my grandpa and old memories coming back up. My grandpa has been dead since way before I was born, but I do know that he left his mark on my dad and Ace. They always talked about him like he was the devil himself. My dad would get so upset he would stop eating or trip over stuff and not pay attention. I'm not really scared of what he will do, it probably wont be any worse that what he has done to Gotham in the past. I am scared that he is going to make a mistake, blow himself up. Miss something critical and so will pass my dad.

There is something scary and final about this plan that I don't like. I have a gut wrenching feeling that things aren't going to be the same afterward. I keep trying to tell myself that it is just me nerves getting the better of me and that everything is going to go according to plan. My dad will be caught, put into Arkham, hopefully for the last time, and all will be well. But there is a voice in my head telling me that is the biggest lie I have ever told myself, ever. I shake myself out of the thought again just as Babs turns around at the computer, "The Joker is attacking Wayne Tower. He will negotiate with no one but Batman."

All of us drop what we're doing and rush to get ready, Bruce is always done first, and then me, then Tim, and finally. Show time.

TIM POV

The Joker finally has made his move, he is inside Wayne tower threatening to blow the whole block sky high unless we come and save the day. So, we're playing into his trap for now, Jackie and Dick are less than a block away ready to jump in if anything is to go wrong, which is good because with the Joker there is always potential for everything to suddenly go wrong. Also according to our thermal scanners he is alone in this building, no men, no right hand man, no goons or anything. Just him and a detonator in his hand, the large bomb he placed under the street is a diversion. Dick went down earlier to check it out, no countdown, no wires, just a few car bombs lined up together hooked together by one wire, that Dick has already snipped. Batman is in front of me and scans the Joker for weapons before walking through the door of Bruce Wayne's office where the Joker is sitting at Bruce's desk with his feet in the air.

Something is off about him, more so than usual. He looks sick, and tired, and almost like if I walked up to him and pushed him he may just turn to a pile of dust at my feet. Fragile. Which of course, was the plan. "Well, Hello! Nice of you to join me!"

"What do you want, Joker. You're outnumbered and you know you will lose. There is nothing for you to bargain for."

"Ohh well if you're so certain I can just blow this whole city block to high heaven and I'll take you both with me."

"What do you want." Batman is no longer asking, he is demanding, which means I get to strike.

"What makes you think I want something bats? Maybe I just want something to make me smile."

"Oh come on clown! I'll wipe the smile off your face." I lunge at him and I feel my cape just escape Batman's fingers, I see why he tried to stop me immediately. The Joker has taken out a knife and will strike me easily if I don't- I roll mid air out of the way of his arm and land on my side, but before I can stand back up his knife is in my side and he has another knife to my throat. I focus on breathing normally through the searing blinding pain in my side, he has very carefully avoided all major arteries and organs, the Joker planned this all along.

"Look at you, you're going to try everything in your power to save him. But you didn't even try with her. She was innocent. sh-she's not evil..." He has lost it, I can hear it in his voice, what we thought was madness before was nothing he is completely unhinged. "She wasn't evil…"

"No. You didn't save her and you wont save him either. Even if I have to hold him here until he bleeds to death in my arms. You're going to feel exactly how I feel right now." I stare at Bruce with unblinking eyes trying very hard to convey my panic to him silently.

"You save everyone else Batman. You always find a way to save the day. Not her. Why not? Why is she gone and I'm still here! I'm a maniac, a murderer. She was none of those things!" The hysteria in his voice is incredibly prominent as he screams at Batman, and though he seems crazier than I've ever seen him, I've never heard him speak so sanely. Like these words have been moving through his mind for days, it is a practiced speech and it hits my heart chords to hear him say them. He loves Jackie more than anyone else in tis room ever could. A drop of water hits the top of my head and I realize it is one of the Joker's tears.

"You let her down, Bats. You let me down. You take her away from me and put her up with billionaire Bruce Wayne and then you moved on! You stopped your tabs on her and you killed her! If you had left her with me she would be here now!" My training tells me to remain steeled to his words, but the human being in me yearns to make it better. I never thought I would feel empathy for the Joker, but I do. Bruce's eyes are cold, calculating his next move, trying to find a way out of this mess we've stumbled into. I keep looking at his eyes even as the glass in the window shatters in on us.

JACKIE POV

Nightwing and I come crashing through the windows. Bruce called us a few seconds ago, though it feels like time stops when I see the scene in front of me, Tim, blood dripping from a wound in his side with a knife to his throat in the arms of my father, who looks deranged in every meaning of the word. His pupils are dilated and his skin is taught, tears streaming down his face smearing his facepaint. He pulls the knife closer to Tim's neck, drawing a small line of blood that trickles down his blade and to the floor. My Dad's eyes dart to Nightwing's movements and I lunge at him, dashing his hand away from Tim's neck and grabbing his gun from his belt. He kicks me away and I get knocked to the floor a few feet away from him. Tim is back in his arms, knife to his temple now.

Tim is in agony as the knife in his side is moved and jostled as he is forced into a standing position. My Dad doesn't even bother to use Tim as a shield, probably assuming I wont shoot. Bruce seems concerned though and I can feel him getting itchy ready to jump to my side the second my finger pulls the trigger.

My mind is racing with all of the different emotions. My whole life I called him father, I loved him like I should. In the last year everything in my life has changed. It has all changed suddenly and without care or thought for me. The universe has placed me in the middle of a game that I don't want to play anymore. And it is his entire fault.

My daddy, the man who cuddled me when I got tummy aches and comforted me when I had nightmares. The man who taught me my ABC's and right from wrong. Who baked cookies with me and played tag with me. Is a murderer, and his knife is dangerously close to Tim's temple, I see his hand flex on the blade and the twitch in his wrist as he makes his move and I make mine. I feel Bruce move behind me just as my finger pulls and me the trigger on the gun. And I feel Bruce's hand land on my wrist to stop what is obviously to late to change.

A grim expression on his face contrasting with the red painted smile; the same shade of red that is splattered on the wall behind him. His body slumps to the ground, the knife landing with a dull thump on the carpeted floor beside him. Tim wobbles and falls forward and I feel my knees buckle. Hot tears sliding down my face. Bruce has Tim and is rushing out the window with him towards the Batmobile before I even realize his hand is no longer on my wrist. I can hear Dick's hitching unsteady breathing behind me but my eyes are focused on the gun in my hands.

"Bruce… was going to let Tim die for his twisted sense of what is right. He was going to let the Joker do it!" I can hardly recognize the twisted voice coming from my throat. I can barely contain the words I just said, they echo in my eardrums louder than a tempest.

"No, no. He would have pulled something out of the hat at the last second, he always does." I can tell this is a lie he has told himself before. He is trying to sound confident but he knows the same thing I do.

"No, we both know he had no trick, a Batarang wasn't fast enough, a bullet barely was. He would have let Tim die!"

I feel Dick's eyes on me and I know that he knows that this is the distraction I've decided to talk about rather than the real issue here. Without thinking I move closer to my Dad's dead body. With the way he is postioned I can only see his face. Through the facepaint I can see his shocked expression that he wore when I had pulled the trigger and killed him. I choose not to look at the small hole in his forehead where the bullet entered.

I feel hot tears running down my face but I can't bring myself to make a sound as I cry. I just hold my breath and let them fall. He wears no tokens or jewelry I should take, and he would never carry a wallet or anything as the Joker. Nothing for me to have of my father except memories and these moments with his remains while Dick looks on me silently from behind ready to pull me away as soon as the cops start running up the stairs. I find my Dad's hand and pry the knife out of it and throw it across the room. No notes, no goodbyes, no pictures tucked in his fist. No happy small thing that he'd leave for me like they do sometimes in the movies. Just a dead man.

I kiss his knuckles then grab my grapple from my belt. I run to the window and jump out and grapple to the next building then another. I know where I'm going and it is not back to Wayne manor. It'll never will be back there again.

A week ago we found proof that Ace was no longer with the Joker, that he had left. I managed to convince Bruce to clear his slate, let him get away. That is where I will go, maybe he will let me stay. I feel another hot tear fall down my cheek as I see my Dad crumble to the ground over and over again in my mind. Broken, defeated, and I cannot deny even for a second, that his death was 100% without a doubt in my heart, my fault.

**We're in the process of writing a sequel that will be complete and will begin posting before to long. Feel free to add us as a favorite author so you'll receive and update when hat is all said and done. **

**We're currently actually a bit stuck on the sequel so if you feel like sending me any ideas of what you want to see happen, please review or message me, I'd love to hear your ideas. **

**Let me know how you've liked it and thanks to those who have been reading and reviewing through it all. Sorry if I made anyone cry… I cried.**


End file.
